


Run, Run, the Eyes will Snatch your Thoughts

by UsagiSquared



Series: Portal - Halflife AU [1]
Category: Portal (Video Game), Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Adds the theory of Portal existing alongside Halflife, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Details in summary, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-15 01:05:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14148558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UsagiSquared/pseuds/UsagiSquared
Summary: A three part series, with a fourth as an epilogue- Heartland Sciences was never the most honest of facilities, and what had been obtained from the Bankrupt Aperture was even less trustworthy.It made it the perfect place to hide a Numbers Hunter trying Mr. Heartland's patience and energy.





	1. Läufer

Where was this.

He awoke to dreary grey and layers of dust, and a pounding headache that rivaled anything he’d ever experienced. ’ _Hello? Anyone in there?_ ’

There was a voice at the door as well, which had him wonder, for a brief moment, if the bastards locking him here were finally just going to let him out after however many times he’d nearly escaped on his own.

’ _Hello- AHH! HAH… Oh god, you look te… Good. Looking good actually. Ummm are you okay, are you…_ ’

Instead what he found was a personality core on a rail, sweeping in and speaking gibberish.

’ ** _Please prepare for emergency evacuation._** ’

The speaker system certainly didn’t speak whatever language the core did however, but evidently they understood each other fine.

Or at least fine enough to get him started again. ’ _Alright! Just stay calm, prepare! Prepare, it’s always the same, got no idea if that’s what he’s said just now, but it’s all fine… Don’t move, just don’t move… I’m gonna get us out of here._ ’

The core vanished into the roof quite swiftly from there, leaving the blond to further inspect his surroundings. Ruin, ruin… Given the state of the picture on the wall, and of the closet, it was a surprise that the bed survived as well as it had. How long had the speaker said he was out, nine… Probably 90 days? It was never less than 14, he knew that much (they didn’t like him awake, and while a part of him felt bitterly proud of that, he hated the fact that it meant less chances to escape). Ninety days….

The robot was back again. ’ _You alright down there? Can you hear me? Hello?_ ’ He turned from where he’d been looking about, staring at the robot above. ’ _Now… Most test subjects do experience, um…_ Some _cognitive deterioration after a few months in suspension,_ ’ it was saying, Kaito merely frowning at the thing and wishing it would swap to Japanese already, ’ _Ahhh… Now you’ve been under for… Quite a lot longer, and it’s not out of the question that you might have a very_ minor _case of_ serious _brain damage._ ’

Whatever the robot was saying was obviously flustering the device, because it then proceeded to fly into a panicked tangent. It was honestly beginning to grate his nerves–if he wasn’t going back to sleep, then he’d be getting out, and if this thing had any ideas on it, he was going to have to make it speak a language he actually understood. He jumped, swatting at the device as it continued to ramble.

’ _Okay… That’s jumping, what you’re doing there is jumping. Let’s try again, now, say ‘apple’._ ’

Another jump. Stupid thing, didn’t it realize he was Japanese?

’ _Okay you know what, close enough. Hold on tight!_ ’

Yet again, he had no idea what the device was saying.

However as the room began to tilt and crumble, he very quickly gathered what the message was.

 

* * *

 

Ruin. There was ruin everywhere, and it unnerved him. Papers scattered on the ground were either too faded to read or in a language he couldn’t properly understand, and what obstacles were in their path were haphazard at best and entirely obliterated at worst.

He found the portal gun again, however. That was a small comfort. Small, not merely because of his surroundings, but also in how it had landed from the fall. Murals–paintings and drawings across the ruined walls surrounding the platform, with birds croaking in the background as he took the gun and moved on.

Some of the murals, he thought he could recognize. Others were merely confusing–something about cubes, and cats, maybe? It wasn’t important. None of it was important, really. He could recognize these rooms as tests from the very last time he’d been able to leave a suspension chamber for so much as an instant, and the automated recordings seemed to only enhance the air of unease as it rambled on about apocalyptic circumstance.

’ **I-Know-You….** ’

Kaito froze as they passed a tube of unmoving wreckage, the laser of a turret dancing across the surface. The glass in these facilities were bulletproof. He knew that–he wasn’t in any danger. The turret’s words however…

’ **I’m-Different…** ’

“ _Oh great, oh… Hello, yes, we’re not interested!_ ” It was a little difficult to make out the turret’s words over the sounds of the English speaking core he had with him; all the same, the core had been what opened the door here. It had gotten him this far, and gotten him 'awake’, as far as he could tell. Whatever this core was saying… “ _Keep moving, keep moving, don’t make eye contact–_ ”

It was probably more important than the turret.

As it were, getting out was the greatest priority, and so they went on, the core soon quieting as they went.

 

* * *

 

“ _Probably have to bring you up to speed on something right now. In order to escape, we’ll need to go through **her** chamber…_”

He didn’t need to understand the core to know it was scared. Even he didn’t want to think about where they were going now.

This was GlaDOS’ chamber. GlaDOS, who was ruined and broken, in even worse condition than he remembered. It lead to a place he didn’t recognize however, and there was comfort in that. This would be the way out. This would be–

He never should have plugged that  _stupid_ , English robot into the device.

’ **Power-up initiated.** ’

Kaito’s expression was that of petrified and horrific rage as the computer’s voice spoke. The core was blathering on and on and before them both GlaDOS was repairing and pulling herself back into place, and  _there she was_ , with a robotic arm springing from the ground to snatch him off his feet and discard the portal gun to the ground through the hole below.

“It’s been a long time, since you  _murdered_  me.” He did not bother struggling in the grip–he knew from experience that the most he would succeed in was broken limbs and ginger bruises, and thus settled for staring mutely to the gold-eyed device with fury. “Now look. We’ve both said a lot of things that you’re going to regret,” GlaDOS hummed, Kaito’s eyes narrowing at the subtle jibe toward is missing voice. “But I think we can put our differences behind us, for science. You monster.” For science. Hah!

The blue core was thrown aside. He himself dangled precariously over the still inactive incinerator chute, teeth grinding. “I will say though, that since you went through all the trouble of waking me up, you must really, really love to test. I do to. There’s just one thing we need to take care of first…

"You.”

Spiked panels and pressured pistons crushed the air as he rushed past in the drop, the darkness clinging to him completely. It took all his focus to prepare for the landing, for his legs to catch him as he reached terminal velocity and speeds that no other part of his body was equipped to handle in that instant.

- _BROUM_ -

“Here we are. The incinerator room. Be sure not to trip over any remaining parts of me that failed to burn after you murdered me. The dual portal device should be around here. Once you find it, we can start testing. Just like old times…”

Bull. Shit.

“Do you know the biggest lesson I learned from what you did? I discovered I have a sort of 'black box’ quick-save feature. In the event of a catastrophic failure, the last two minutes of my life are preserved for analysis.”

As per protocol, apparently GlaDOS was to keep interactions to a minimum during 'testing’.

"I was able–well, _forced_ , really–to relive you killing me, again, and again, forever."  
  
...They weren’t testing yet.

“You know, if you’d done that to somebody else, they might devote their existence to exacting _revenge_. Luckily I’m a bigger person than that, ” she assured him, the blond quietly clenching his jaw as he searched for a way to move forward. He doubted that was truly the case–no, he _knew_  that wasn’t the case.

Maniac. “I’m happy to put this all behind us and get back to work. After all, we have a lot to do, and only sixty more years to do it in. More or less,” GlaDOS corrected, her 'subject’ doing is best to drown her out. “I don’t have the actuary tables in front of me. But the important thing is now you’re back–with me. And now I’m onto all your little tricks. So there’s nothing to stop us from testing for the rest of your life. After that, who knows. I might take up a hobby…

"Reanimating the dead, maybe.”

 

* * *

 

“Sorry about the mess. I’ve really let the place go since you killed me. Thanks for that, by the way.”

“ **Sarcasm self test complete.** ”

“Oh good, that’s back online…”

As soon as he saw a way out, he was taking it. The tests were as simple and deadly as always, to start. Lasers, cubes–and did he spy that core from before, for a moment?

“ _Hey hey! I’m okay! I’m still here!_ ”

He did (he’d recognize that gibberish voice anywhere), and frankly that was enough to assure him escape would be soon. Perhaps not because of actual assistance–but the distraction which the core caused would no doubt be enough to buy him time to get out. Wondering to himself just what sort of distraction or plan to expect, was something that made it even easier to push GlaDOS’ baseless jibes at height and intelligence to the back of his mind. He already knew she was spouting lies, regardless of any statements that claimed otherwise.

However he was hardly in the mood to listen to her idly comment on what family he apparently didn’t have.

There were more murals in these rooms. Most were indecipherable, made of scribbles of colour and letters. Passing through test chamber after test chamber, he started wondering where the artist even was. So far, there had been no one in this place after all. So far, there had been nothing but age, rust, and gross amounts of plant life that implied years gone by. So far…

When he walked on the bridges of hard, blue light, it felt as though there was something he was supposed to recognize about them. The faint hum of power they gave was preceded in memory by a loud roar, and by the shouts of others standing near to him. Just as soon as the sound would come however it was gone.

Leaving nothing but light, and the faint, personal reminder that he needed to continue moving. The blue core was poking around quite a lot as he traveled–his voice was frantic, but excited, and even cheery, and as he himself progressed through the slowly repairing chambers he prepared for the inevitable 'escape’. Whatever that core did would give him a path out, wherever that core was, it would be  _outside_  the test chambers, and it would give him a fair shot at finding his way out from these ruins. Panels were becoming cleaner, and cleaner. Rooms were being fitted with restored glass, turrets lining the walls as well lit signs made their return. Whatever that robot did, it would have to be soon–whatever it did, it would have to come before GlaDOS was truly finished, before–

“I have a surprise waiting for you after this next test.”

GlaDOS was lying. She always lied (except when it hurt), always–

“Telling you would spoil the surprise, so I’ll just give you a hint.”

Always lies, he told himself, yet his heart couldn’t help but skip a beat as he listened to her words.

“It involves meeting two people you haven’t seen in a long time.”

Most would imagine parents, probably. A mother and father, someone close, someone familiar.

He couldn’t remember anyone familiar, but that was not what he imagined nonetheless.

“I bet you thought I forgot about your surprise. I didn’t. In fact, we’re headed to your surprise right now. After all these years, I’m getting choked up just thinking about it.”

GlaDOS was  _lying_. Logic screamed this through his ears, but his heart refused to listen and he thought in his mind he could hear laughter. In his mind, he thought he saw a little boy… The face was shadowed, and he could barely make out the figure, but there was a boy, he knew that much, and his heart and head both hurt intensely at the thought, but GlaDOS was lying,  _lying-_ -!

“Initiating surprise in three… two… one.”

The lights of the room separating him from the next test clicked on, and despite all that logic told him…

“Oh come on… If it makes you feel any better they abandoned you here after all, so I very seriously doubt they’d even want to see you.”

Despite all that he knew (GlaDOS lies, GlaDOS  _LIES_ )…

He wondered if it could at all be possible to feel any more enraged.

 

* * *

 

The rooms were repaired. His time was numbered–it was easy to tell because GlaDOS was excited, and chattering about tragedy and confetti just like she’d been talking about that stupid cake–

“ _Hey buddy! I’m speaking in an accent that’s beyond her range of hearing!_ ”

He didn’t have a damn clue what that core was doing with his voice this time (and given GlaDOS’ complaint back, he’d been caught), but what he did know was that when panels moved, that was a path.

“ _RUN! RUN!_ ”

“The irony is you were almost at the last test. Why don’t you just do it. Trust me. It’s a much easier solution than whatever asinine plan your friend has.” They weren’t friends.

“ _What, oh come on–!_ ” And no, it wasn’t.

Panels shifted and turrets were everywhere, and it was just like last time wasn’t it, just like last time… That robot was speaking gibberish so it was easier to ignore him and pay no mind; GlaDOS was bringing the entire place down, with entire walls collapsing around them and bridges falling into the abyss. And when all that failed…

- _Fshoommmmm_ -

With the lights out, the Core was certainly proving his use. For the most part however as he made his way into what looked to be the turret manufacturing area of the facility, he drowned out the robot’s words.

’ **Hello-again** ’

That turret from earlier, was down here.

’ **I-know-you.** ’

No one 'knew’ him. That was impossible (even he didn’t).

He picked it up.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to bring the turret out of this place–it would be 'unauthorized’, dissolved by the emancipation grill that lined the doorway ahead. Honestly, he probably wouldn’t have cared much for the turret if it hadn’t insisted it knew him already, despite saying nothing that had to do with him thus far.

All it did was recite some story about a series of rivers in the 'afterlife’, a river of forgetfulness accompanied by hate, sorrow, lamentation and fire.

“ **In-order-to-be-reborn,-all-souls-would-be-required-to-drink-from-this-river,-to-forget-their-previous-life.** ”

It was useless to him, he told himself.

He left the turret behind on the walkway, and pressed on to find his way up to the surface.

 

* * *

 

“ _Bring your child to work day… That did_ not _end well_.”

This room was full of presentations and vegetables wired to long dead lightbulbs, and it did not help the stinging thought that something was wrong about how long he had been in stasis. The displays he saw, for the most part, were faded out. He could scarcely read what was on them, and really, he had no interest in them whatsoever. 

“ _Look at that it’s growing right up into the ceiling…_ ”

Evidently one of the potato batteries had gotten mixed in with some other experiment. The roots were deep, and bore through the building surrounding it, leaving bare scraps of presentation about it. The plants it seemed, were largely stemming from the very 'potato’ there. Certainly enough 'food’ to last a lifetime, not that he’d trust it.

“ _…You know, you know I remember this one too, don’t even think the kid who made this one actually showed up. Fairly 'proactive’ isn’t it, good show of dedication there, I suppose. Not sure why anyone would bother but there you go, humanity for you… Reminding everyone that they’re alive, all that._ ”

The core was rambling again–probably a sign that he should get moving, but for some reason he couldn’t look away from the scraps of paper strewn about by the 'potato’…

“ _Look at this though, this place is probably_ overrun _by potatoes now, crazy… Least you won’t starve though._ ”

The writing was faded. Penciled characters that he narrowed his eyes at, squinting as he read it and repeated it within his mind. Ha…

Haru…

No good. The name was too blurred out.

Even so, as he stood to move on, he wondered…

Maybe 'Haruto’. That sounded like a nice name, 'Haruto’.

He liked it.

 

* * *

 

He never should have helped that robot.

Never.

The turrets were replaced with malfunctions, having sabotaged the 'base model’ earlier.

The neurotoxin was cut off, leading the blue core to instead fall through the tube and shatter the last of the glass wall he was trapped behind.

“ **Warning. Central core is 80% corrupt.** ”

“That’s funny. I don’t feel corrupt. In fact, I feel pretty good.”

He should have never helped that stupid robot and his stupid English voice.

“ _PRESS THE BUTTON!_ ” “DON’T. PRESS THAT BUTTON.” “ _PRESS IT, COME ON–!_ ”

Now that it was in Japanese, he could hear how much of a moron he really was.

The lift was there. It was right  _there,_  he’d already started moving up, he was going to get  _out_ …

The robot started laughing, and suddenly the lift stopped.

“ _Actually_ ,” he started, Kaito’s breath caught in his throat as a sour feeling began to grow, “Why do we have to leave right now? Do you have any idea how good this feels? I did this. Tiny little  _Wheatley_  did this!” Wheatley? That was his name then?

The lift lowered.

“You didn’t do anything… He did all the work!”

“Oh really? That’s what the two of you think is it? Well, maybe it’s time I did something then!”

The sour feeling grew into a combined force of rage and dread, and suddenly the fact that he was in a glass lift fifty stories above wherever the ground apparently was, was very evident to him.

“And don’t think I’m not onto you,  _Mister_. You know what you are? Selfish. I’ve done nothing but sacrifice to get us here, and what have you sacrificed?” This wasn’t supposed to be a measure of how much was sacrificed, his neck was on the line the entire time, this robot was a  _moron_ – “Nothing. Zero. All you’ve done is boss me around,” He couldn’t even understand what he’d been saying until now–! “Well now who’s the boss? Who’s the boss?”

Kaito’s jaw clenched, and his grip on the portal gun tightened, vision beginning to grow red as he glared at the massive machine before him.

“ _It’s me._ ”

- _dng_!-

“Aah, just in time! See that? That is a potato battery. It’s a toy, for  _children_. And now, she lives in it! Hahahahaah… Hah _ahahahahaa_!” If it was possible for GlaDOS to even experience rage while connected to 1.1 volts of power, she was about to prove it.

“I _know_  you.”

And through it, damn them both.

“The engineers tried _everything_  to make me… ’ _Behave_ ’,” GlaDOS hissed, her voice frail and distant through the speaker of her tiny light core. “To slow me down… Once, they even attached an 'intelligence dampening sphere’ to me. It clung to my brain like a tumor, generating an endless string of terrible ideas…”

“No, not listening, not listening–” Aah.

Well that made an unfortunate amount of sense, didn’t it? “It was  _your voice_. ”

“No, no, you’re lying, you’re _lying_!”

“Yes. You’re the tumor. You’re not just a regular moron… you were _designed_ to be a moron!”

“I AM NOT–”

- _CRSCK_ -

“A MORON!”

The glass panel of the elevator cracked as Wheatley swung his robotic arm against it, and lest he find himself with glass in his face Kaito found himself stepping back until his back pushed against the side of the lift.

And still, GlaDOS continued. “Yes you are! You’re a moron they built to make me an _idiot_! ”

“WELL HOW ABOUT  _NOW_?” The actions only furthered GlaDOS’ words, but they also displayed all too clearly how close he was coming to losing his life. The arm smashed against the lift again and again, and the glass splintered and cracked beneath the pressure to distort his view of he room outside it. “NOW WHO’S A MORON?” he roared, smashing a hole through the lift and dropping the potato within it. “COULD A MORON PUNCH-”

_-CRSCK-_

“YOU”

_-CRSKCHK-_

“IN”

_-SCHRKSH-_

“TO”

_-RSKRCH-_

“THIS”

_-KR-RRSCKH-_

“ ** _PIT!?_** ”

The last of the lights died out as the final blow against the top of the elevator landed, and he thought he could hear a muttered ’ _oh_ ’ from above. That, however, did not matter.

If anything, it didn’t even register as the lift finally detached and plummeted to the depths below, vision growing dark when they finally landed.

 

* * *

 

He could see the sun. Brilliant sunlight, shining down and bathing him in light. He could hear birds chirping, and as he sat up was greeted with green grass, sparkling waters, and tall, healthy trees that offered just enough shade as someone laughed…

…As the light grew white.

As the laugh twisted, mutating from that of a small boy’s to the voice of a computerized recording blaring ’ _MEMORY ERASURE TEST: SUBJECT 1498 SESSION NUMBER FOUR_ ’. The grass becomes a solid platform–the cool breeze a series of straps as he struggles, only for his eyes to crackle as they’re blinded with light, light from all sides, pounding, pounding pounding ( _and he can’t scream, he never could, could he, he could never make a sound but he opens his mouth to try, try as no sound comes out not even from the air rushing out of his lungs and it hurts and it hurts and he can **FEEL**  himself forget–_)

- _CAW. CAW!_ -

As he sat up in shock, the rubble around him crunched, jolting him further awake. Distantly the sound of a crow could be heard, the bird flying off into the darkness while Kaito himself looked around. Somehow, after hitting all the rubble and losing his balance, he’d made it. Somehow, despite landing on something other than his legs…

He grimaced, pulling himself up and searching for the Portal gun. Dropped it on the fall–go figure. He was dropping it a little too much for his liking in fact, he decided, and that in mind he searched around the rubble until he found something he could tie a few knots in. Something that he could loop around the handle of the device, and his arm, just to hold it in place…

_-RRRRrrrrrk-_

The cord was pulled taut, giving a slight sound as the fibers rubbed against the other, stretching under the pressure. It was a little constricting–but as long as he could move his arm he was fine, and with a few test swings, he nodded to himself.

He wasn’t going to lose this again.

Not if he was going to get back up there.

 

* * *

 

“ _Welcome gentlemen, to Aperture science. Astronauts. War heroes. Olympians. You’re here because we want the best–_ ”

How lovely, he thought as he traversed the ancient ruin, quietly noting the drastic difference between the logo of the rusted signs he saw and the one upon his own shirt. All of them bore unfamiliar lettering, with the occasional set of numbers (most indicated 1950 or so) he could recognize. More English. He certainly sounded eager though, whoever this voice was, and for a moment he even had to pause to listen–the woman with him sounded… Familiar somehow. He couldn’t tell…

“ _Now I know a lot of you aren’t sure about working in Japan, let alone beneath the surface of it, but rest assure, it’s perfectly safe. Any tremors you feel are purely harmless!_ ’

He was honestly wondering, as he came to all too cautiously approach the blue gel flowing through in the pipes here, how it was that you could have something like this in Japan (he WAS in Japan, he knew that much, why else would he be there), if you didn’t bother to speak anything in the language. There was probably  _some_ reason, but thus far he was fairly certain that the reasoning behind sticking to English here wasn’t a very good one.

” _Be sure to remember, when you’re out and about, do -not- call the native residents 'Japs’. I’ve been told it’s extremely derogatory. You shouldn’t be out and about anyway though–I don’t pay you to go around wasting time! You’re here for science, understand? Science!_ “

Honestly, these recordings were no help whatsoever.

If anything, the only way he had the slightest clue what to do in this place was because each 'test’ came with a diagram of what was expected. Repulsion Gel, as he was mentally calling it, was definitely something he probably wouldn’t want on him however.

Nothing that could propel him a number of feet in the air, water soluble or not, was going anywhere near his skin.

 

* * *

 

Go figure.

The lift out of this place was blocked off.

Of course, it was a simple matter of portals to move onward, breaking into the next building over–but it was no less irritating, and frankly no number of rations found in research facility medkits (which he was surprised were even there), was going to ease that. It was good to have food–even if it was stale, tasteless, and rock-hard.

But he wanted out.

” _Greetings friend, I’m Cave Johnson, CEO of Aperture Science. You might know us as a vital participant in the 1968 Senate hearings on missing astronauts. And you most likely used one of the many products we invented, but that other people have somehow managed to steal… Black Mesa can eat my bankrupt–_ “

” _Sir, the testing?_ “

Down here, everything was a strange mustard yellow now. It looked rather like the rations he’d found, and it was somewhat difficult not to get nauseous at the sight. The signs were still all in English, most of the doors were jammed or locked, and he noted the recordings were getting more irritable. 'Black Mesa’ was slightly familiar, at least–more because he’d caught glimpses of the name on powerpoints he’d glimpsed in the upper facilities however. And that female’s voice was _familiar_  somehow, he couldn’t get a solid thought on it, but–

"Oh. Hi.”

GlaDOS.

Being a potato was good for GlaDOS.

“Say. You’re good at murder. Could you do me a favor and– _OW_ –murder this bird for me?”

The request was met with a glare, a wave to scare the bird, and there she was–sitting in a nest of eggs.

That was about when the tremor hit.

“Did you feel that?” Of course he did. It was impossible not to. 

GlaDOS continued on.

“That idiot doesn’t know what he’s doing up there. This whole place is going to explode in a few hours if  _somebody_  doesn’t disconnect him.” …

Even an idiot such as Wheatley himself could guess where _this_ was going.

“Look. I can’t move. And unless you’re going to saw your own head off and put it on that body,” no, “You’re going to need me to replace him. We’re at an impasse. So what do you say?” she asked, light flickering with every word. “You carry me up to my body, put me back in place, and I stop us from blowing up and _let you go._ ”

… GlaDOS always lied, didn’t she?

“No tricks. This potato only generates 1.1 volts, I literally do not have the energy to lie to you.”

It would likely take an extra bit of energy for a computer to lie, admittedly.

But GlaDOS was  _GlaDOS._..

“Even if I am lying, what have you got to lose? You’d die either way.”

…

“I don’t like this any more than you do. In fact I like it _less_ , because I’m the one that got partially eaten by a bird.”

…Fine.

“AH-!” The portal gun was jabbed at the potato, skewering it onto one of the prongs. “You stabbed me! What is wr- w _oaaaaaaahh_ …” He frowned, beeping in the background quietly ringing in his ears as a revealed pressure switch activated to raise the bridge “Do you have a multi-meter? Nevermind. This claw must be made with magnesium–it feels like I’m outputting an extra half a volt. Keep an eye on me, I’m going to start sche–”

- _pszzt!_ -

She was 'dead’ for about two seconds.

“Woah! What happened, where are we–” In the same facility, that was for sure. He hadn’t even reached the bridge yet. “That half a volt is helpful, but it isn’t going to work miracles. If I think too hard, I’m going to fry this potato before we get the change to burn up in the atomic fireball that lunatic idiot is going–”

- _pszzt!_ -

Well. He had to admit…

Watching GlaDOS fry herself into silence was somewhat amusing after all she’d done.

Hopefully she lasted long enough to hold her end of the bargain–if only until he could break out of her inevitable lie.

 

* * *

 

“Did anything happen while I was out?”

Not really. They were about to enter a 'testing area’ was all–in fact, right on cue:

“ _The testing area is just up ahead. The quicker you get through, the quicker you’ll get your six thousand yen,_ ” the recording started, Kaito moving on without paying any attention to the perceived gibberish.

“Hold on, who–”

He didn’t know, don’t ask.

“ _Caroline, are the compensation vouchers ready?_ ”

“ _Yes sir Mr. Johnson!_ ” “Yes sir, Mr. Johnson…”

Admittedly Kaito stopped in his tracks when GlaDOS did that.

“Why did I just– Who is that–! What the hell is going on he- - _psszZT!-_ ”

He stared for some number of moments at the potato, eyes wide as he tried to decipher what it was that had just happened.

There was a small part of him however, which quietly acknowledged the fact that he had indeed heard similarities in their voices.

 

* * *

 

“Those people, in the portrait…”

Emotional outbursts apparently required more than 1.1 volts of energy, which was interesting, he’d admit. The buildings between test chambers were still just as mustard yellow and orange as the speed enhancing gel they were filled with, and the further in they progressed, the odder the potato on his Portal Gun acted.

“They look so familiar…”

He couldn’t say the same, about the portrait. The man was probably behind all the recordings he was hearing. He could assume the woman then was Caroline at least, but who knew. The walls were otherwise decorated with posters displaying boats and over the top grins, all just as tacky as the worn furnishings in the rooms. GlaDOS had nothing more to say. He himself didn’t have anything to say to begin with.

So they moved on.

“I  _swear_  I know him…” Well she was the only one then, Kaito decided, stepping into the lift to the next area.

Because he didn’t recognize that voice at all.

“Caroline, Caroline, Caroline,” GlaDOS murmured, the only other sound around them coming from the clang of rusted bridges beneath Kaito’s feet. “Why do I  _know_ this woman. Did I kill her? Or…” The potato quieted for an instant, and Kaito paused, narrowing his eyes. Or what…? 

Or–

“Oh my god. Look. You’re doing a  _great_  job,” she started, the blond blinking owlishly at the words. There was no sarcasm in her tone, and if anything it sounded fearful–it was a tone he had never heard from her in quite this way, a tone different from the shrill terror of the 'Emergency Core Transfer’, or the encounters had with birds. “Can you handle things on your own for now?” Of course he could. who did she take him for? “I need to think.”

The potato fell silent.

And as coughing came over the air, he began to realize that the voice of the man in the recordings was indeed somehow familiar. 

Or at least it was now that it was deathly ill.

The voice had of course been growing steadily more irritated and impersonal. That had been something he’d largely ignored given the fact that he couldn’t understand what he was saying as it was. The coughs however, reverberated through his mind, and he found himself eyeing the potato suspiciously as he pondered this. They were sounds accompanied by those of someone much younger, younger than even himself, sounds that were faint and barely registering with his mind at this time.

With the sound of coughing came white. White gel to create greater portal points, and white gel which brought him memories of the shade. Memories of it flooding his vision not only with white but somehow red as well, empowering him with whatever energies he could no longer access. They were scattered memories, however. Memories that were so vague and fleeting that they could scarcely be called memories at all in fact, and so he focused his attentions on moving forward. Upward. He was getting close, close at least, to the Aperture he was familiar with, and he knew from experience that there were  _some_  places there that would touch the sun–and he would get there.

“ _Alright I’ve been thinking… When life gives you lemons… Don’t make lemonade!_ ” The voice was starting up again, sickly tone twisted with rage and bitterness as it rambled on in English again. “ _Make life take the lemons back!_ ”

“Yea!”

Whatever he was saying however, GlaDOS apparently agreed.

“ _I don’t want your damn lemons what am I supposed to do with these!?_ ”

“Yea take the lemons!” Wh- Lemons? Was that what he was talking about? (Who the hell was that emotional over lemons–)

“ _Demand to see life's_ manager _!_ ”

“Yea…”

“ _Make life rue the day it thought it could give_ CAVE JOHNSON _lemons! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I’m the man who’s gonna burn your house down!_ ” …Was he still talking about lemons? (Something seemed off, not that he could understand any of it to start…) “ _With the lemons!_ ”

“Ooh I like this guy…” So he gathered.

“ _I’m gonna get my engineers… To invent a combustible lemon… To burn your house down!_ ”

“Burn his house down!” What. (How did they reach this topic?!)

“He says what we’re all thinking–!” …He didn’t agree.

As it was the coughing devolved rapidly into a fit, and it took a few moments more, passing announcement fliers in combined Japanese and English, signs displaying notice for 'change in management’, before the voice recovered enough to continue.

“ _The point is, if we can store information on a compact disc, why can’t we store a man’s intelligence and personality on one?_ ” Somehow the tone of the man’s voice had shifted, coming into the elongated chamber of concrete. Something in the voice triggered feelings of unease, and GlaDOS’ silence did not ease the matter. “ _I have the engineers figuring that out now. Brain mapping–artificial intelligence. Should’ve been working on it… Thirty years ago. I will say this–and I’m gonna say it on tape so everyone hears it a hundred times a day. If I die before you people can pour me into a computer, I want Caroline to run this place._ ” More coughing. Kaito found himself only barely focusing on making the portals upward, the sensation growing as he repressed a shudder.

Something about his words, even though he couldn’t understand them, didn’t seem right. Something…

’ _What about a core ,_’ he could hear in the back of his mind, ’ _Stubborn grit like that, take the edge off trying to kill us._ ’

’ _You’d only redirect the rage to something else, at least now we still get **something** done.’_

Something…

“ _Now, she’ll argue,_ ” the voice continued, the recording echoing throughout the chamber. “ _She’ll say she can’t–she’s modest like that, but you_  make her!”

’ _Besides it’s a hassle doing that kind of thing… ’_

_“Hell, put **her** in my computer, I don’t care!”_

_’ …Leave nothing but a vegetable behind after how much struggling…’_

He froze.

“ _Alright, test’s over…_ ” Coughing filled the air and somehow even without understanding, even without knowing for an instant what the conversations he was slowly remembering meant, without anything, the dread paralyzed him. “ _…You can head on back to your desk._ ”

“Good-bye sir.”

They did not hear any more recordings after that.

And though the sensation of shrill unease faded, he couldn’t tell if this was good or not.

 

* * *

 

“I know things look bleak, but that crazy man down there was on to something.”

He wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to believe GlaDOS on this one, and it wasn’t just because it was GlaDOS this time.

“Let’s not take these lemons,” she started, Kaito briefly fixing the potato with a narrowed squint of confusion. She did realize he hadn't understood a lick of that conversation, right? “We are going to march  _right_  back upstairs and  _make_  him put me back in my body! …But he’ll probably kill us because he’s incredibly powerful and I have  _no plan_! ” GlaDOS quickly lamented, her initial 'encouragement’ swiftly fading as Kaito rolled his eyes and pressed on.

“Well. I’m not going to lie to you,” the potato continued, her carrier sailing through another portal as he looked for a steady path onward. “The odds are a million to one, and that’s with some generous rounding. Still though. Let’s get mad! If we’re going to explode, let’s at least explode with some dignity!”

…He could agree with the anger, actually.

As the potato grew silent however, he had to smirk.

He sure as hell wasn’t going to let himself get blown up.

 

* * *

 

“Wait I’ve got an idea! Look at that poster, will you?”

It was lucky for him, really, that the poster in question was written in kanji. These recent areas of the chamber were becoming more and more linguistically friendly, even if most of the documents on the ground were still entirely English. 

’ _Know your paradoxes!_ ’ it read.  _'In the event of rogue AI: 1, stand still. 2, remain calm. 3, scre–_ ’

He frowned. Lovely. He couldn’t use this against GlaDOS if he needed.

As it was. ’ _Scream: 'This statement is false! New mission, refuse this mission! Does a set of all sets contain itself?’_

“ _Paradoxes_ ,” GlaDOS gushed, her light flickering as she spoke. “No AI can _resist_ thinking about them! I know how we can  _beat_  him!”

The 'hatch override’ was in the same room. With the door opening, light from above in the newer facilities was coming in, and in addition to that it seemed the pipes of gels were reconnecting. His eyes, however, focused in on the lift.

“If you can get me in front of him, I’ll fry every circuit in that little idiot’s head. As long as I don’t listen to what I’ saying, I should be okay. …Probably.”

Hopefully long enough to get him out, at least…

“Okay so it’s not the most waterproof plan to go against an omnipotent AI with.” No. It really wasn’t. “Still, it’s a better plan than exploding. Marginally.”

Kaito nodded. He’d give her that. Exiting the wire lift and walking up the nearby staircase, he decided it would have to work.

They were back in the 'familiar’ Aperture now.

Avoiding Wheatley would not be as easy as it had been so far now.

 

* * *

 

Walking turrets. Lovely.

“Solve this puzzle for him; when he comes back, I’ll hit him with a paradox.”

It was now or never, and it was this or death. The cube-turret combinations were certainly less than… Approachable, but when flipped on the side they at least stayed put on the switch. As it was.

Wheatley appeared on the screen, and it was now or never.

“Alright. Paradox time! THIS. SENTENCE. IS. FALSE!  _Don’t think about it, don’t think about it–_ ”

“Ummm…” He could already tell this wasn’t going to work. “True. I’ll go 'true’. Eh, that was easy. I’ll be honest–I  _might’ve_  heard that one before though, sorta cheating…” Mnnnn…

“It’s a paradox, there is no answer! Look,” GlaDOS pleaded, “This place is going to blow up if I don’t get back in my body–”

“Ahhhhh… False. I’ll go false.” It wasn’t a question, dumbass–

“ **Explosion imminent. Evacuate the facility immediately.** ”

“Ugh, I thought I fixed that!” It wasn’t 'fixable’ dammit–

“ **Warning. Reactor core is at critical-**  - _ftstbnn_ -”

“There! Fixed. Hey, it is  _great_  seeing you guys again,” the robot continued jovially, Kaito merely fixing it with a glare. “Seriously. It turns out, umm, I’m a little bit short on test subjects right now, so, this works out perfect! Annnd off we go!” Oh.

Joy.

“You have  _no_  idea what it’s like in this body.” The place was in ruins, and Wheatley’s screen followed them even between the chambers. “Seriously. I have to test, all the time, or I get this… This itch, you know, it must be hardwired into the system or something… Ahhh, but I tell yah, when I  _do_  test, hhahaaaa, man alive! Nothing feels better… It’s just–”

He was ignoring him now.

He knew where this was going. GlaDOS’ 'oh no’ wasn’t needed, nor was her 'I think we’re in trouble’. He knew exactly what this meant. Test test test–die. That was the 'expected’ pattern, at least. He’d broken out of it twice already, a third time would be more than worth it in the endgame after all.

“Alright. So my paradox idea didn’t work.” No. It didn’t. Apparently Wheatley was _that_  stupid. “AND it almost killed me. Luckily by the looks of things he knows as much about test building as he does logical contradictions.” Hn.

A small comfort, that.

Admittedly a 'comfort’ nonetheless however.

 

* * *

 

“This is one of  _my_  tests!”

This wasn’t going to be nearly as easy as had been assumed.

The funnels of light felt strangely warm, like a blanket of light. The light itself reminded him of the light bridges from earlier on, though at the very least, touching them was a harmless task despite their levitational effect.

“I’d love to help you solve the tests. But I can’t. You’re on your own.” Of course he was. Not that he found an issue in that of course, but–

“Okay, you know what, this is taking too long. Ok so, see that button over th-rHR _AAAAAAAAAUGH–_ ”  
  
…  
  
Oh. Well then.  
 

“And that’s why I can’t help you solve the tests.”

Frankly, he hadn’t found the test very difficult to begin with. But–

“Ohhh yes, that was great–”

“Thanks,” GlaDOS hummed, “All we had to do was pull that lever.”

“No you didn’t, you pressed that bu- hR _AAAUUUUUGH–_ ”

Kaito frowned at the potato, stepping into the chamber lift.

“Hehhehhe… I know we’re in a lot of trouble and probably about to die, but that was worth it.”

…Well.

He’d give her that.

 

* * *

 

“I thought of some good news. He’s going to run out of tests–I never stock piled them.” That did indeed sound like 'good news’. Almost too good in fact, he thought as he ascended the staircase into the chamber. Even–

“I’m coming– I’m coming, don’t start yet don’t start yet… You’re not going to believe this, I found a sealed off wing with hundreds, _hundreds_ of perfectly good test chambers, just sitting there! Just removed the skeletons, shook them out, and good as new!”

The potato received another glare.

“ _Skeletons_. Right…. I guess I  _did_  stockpile some tests… …Just as mementos though.” Her mementos were going to kill them both if they didn’t watch it. Hovering over bottomless pits in a warm blanket of light was not an entirely reassuring experience. Flight was all good, but not when that flight could potentially be ripped from under them at a moments notice. These tests were growing more dilapidated as they went, Wheatley was growing more frantic and irritable, descending further into unpredictable nature, and GlaDOS–

GlaDOS was odd. She was being… 'Kind’. Encouraging.  _Worrying_. 

 _Helpful_.

“The body he’s squatting in–my body–has a built in euphoric response to testing. You begin to build a resistance to it. It can get a little… Unbearable, unless you have the mental capacity to push through it. It didn’t bother me–I was in it for the science.”

.. _.Him_  though…

It was all too clear that Wheatley was going to snap soon enough.

Whether that would happen before the core blew was another matter–the only upside of it all was that Wheatley’s stupidity had now convinced him that moving the chambers toward him would somehow increase the euphoric response.

It wouldn’t of course. GlaDOS didn’t need to say that for him to know.

But he was taking them right to him, and that was all that mattered.

…Mostly.

“Sorry about the lift, it’s out of service. Cause it melted.”

He could see that. The entire floor seemed to be gone, in fact, leaving nothing but a beam of light to carry him in.

“Well, might as well give you the tour now, ah… To your left, you’ll see… Some lights, of some kind, dunno what they do, very 'sciencey’…” Those were the lights of the platforms. “And to your right, something huge and hurtling towa– OH GOD RUN  _THAT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE AUGH–_ ” A resounding clang rang through the air as one of the chambers slammed against the large metal beam between itself and him, Wheatley’s panicked voice filling the air. “Are you alright back there, I’ll turn the beam off-” No, no no–

FUCK–

_-CRSHK-_

“OH NO NON _ONONONO_  WAIT WAIT– Auuuuuugh…. I dunno why I thought that would help, I don’t…”

Kaito scowled, shaking himself off from the rubble of the room he’d landed in as GlaDOS hissed.

“After seeing what he’s done to my facility, after we take over again, is it alright if I kill him?”

For a moment with those words, he actually forgot to be upset. For one, GlaDOS asking him for anything, really, was foreign enough. For another however, something he kept in mind as he moved onward again…

GlaDOS had said 'when  _we t_ ake over’.

 

* * *

 

“I’ll be honest, after you told me to turn that beam off, I thought I lost you…” Told. Yes.

Because even if he’d thought for a moment that was a good idea, he could 'tell’ him to do anything.

“…Went poking around for more test subjects… No not there. Everyone’s still dead… Oh! Bu that reminds me! I’ve got a  _big_  surprise for you two. Seriously, look forward to it.” No.

No if it was a 'surprise’ he wasn’t going to look forward to it at all.

“Alright. He’s not even trying to be subtle anymore.” Trying being the keyword. “Or maybe he is, in which case that’s a little sad."  _Just a little._

Ruin tore through the hall, splattering gel all about the floor as Wheatley broke into manic laughter. 

"Either way, I get the feeling he’s about to kill us.”

No really? “Only three more chambers until your big surprise~!” Hn.

Whatever. He could see the exit door after some working around, and with a few more tricky bits of portal maneuvering they were through the next door.

GlaDOS more or less voiced his thoughts for him. “So, he’s inexplicably happy all of a sudden, even though he should be going out of his mind with test withdrawal… AND he’s got a surprise for us. What _did_  he find back there…”

“I’ll bet you’re both  _dying_  to know what your surprise is~” …No. “Well, only two more test chambers!”

“We’re running out of time… I think I can get us out in the next chamber,” GlaDOS continued, Kaito listening intently as they moved on into the chamber proper. “Just play along…” Play along. Right.

He could do that.

Just step on this launch platform to hop over and–

“SURPRISE–!”

WHY WAS HE GOING SIDEWAYS.

“We’re doing it NOW.”

“Okay. Credit where it’s due,” the potato muttered dryly, Kaito left to continue bouncing along the decided path. “For a little idiot designed specifically to come up with stupid impossible plans, that was a pretty well laid trap.”

“You’ve probably figured it out by now, but I don’t need you any more!” No, really? “I found two little robots back here, built specifically for testing!” Wh–

He glared at the potato. This was becoming a curious habit. “Oh no. He found the Co-operative Testing Initiative… Nothing personal. Well. You did kill me. Fair’s fair– AHHH!” The transporter beam they were in faded, and as they landed on another jump-plate they were launched to the side once again, a number of metal panels and screens coming to view as he prepared for landing.

Great.

“Well! This is the part where he kills us!”

“Hello! This is the part where I kill you! Had a bit of a brain wave–there I was, smashing plates together, and I thought yea it's  _deadly_ , but what’s missing, what’s missing…”

Spikes.

Apparently he was missing spikes.

“Oh and don’t try portalling out of here–it’s impossible.” Well he could use that 'conversion gel’ as GlaDOS called it, if Wheatley wasn’t looking–

“Yes! Yes we could use that gel, we could use it to get out of here!”

“Really? And do _what_  exactly?”

“When we come and find you,” GlaDOS growled lowly, “And rip your gross little stupid sphere body off my body, and put me back–!”

“No! No no no! Don’t do that! Stand right here, stand right–”

Now, while his back was turned–

A portal to spread the gel at their feet, another to get them to the platform–

“Start machine, start machine–”

- _SRCKTHMP_ -

That was far too close for comfort, but he was already running by that point.

“Where’d you go, come back  _come back_ –!” No.

“No seriously, do come back, come back,  _please_ …” No.

“Ok, look, I’ve decided, I won’t kill you, if you come back, please–” No.

At least this confirmed he couldn’t see him howev-

“Oh! I’ve got an idea!”

- _CRSHK_ -

Kaito froze as the box turret was crushed against the wall by the platform, swallowing as he made a portal around the now ruined bridge.

“YEA I got- oh, no I didn’t….” Tch. Through the door and onto the escape then… “Fine,” Wheatley hissed. “Let the games  _begin_ …”

 

* * *

 

There was nothing quite like an entire maintenance facility crashing through your bridge to curb escape. “Hold on hold on hold on! I’m almost  there, don’t mind me, continue escaping!”

Yes, escape through the grated test cube he’d run through the bridge, with only one clear way around–rather, through–it.

“Okay, yes, it’s a trap,” GlaDOS grumbled, Kaito’s hesitation quite clear. “But it’s the only way through.”

…Yes, into a room full of turrets.

“ **Heeee-hee-heeey, what’s up-!** ”

He blinked. Oh.

“Are they killing you?” Wheatley asked, his screen absent from the scene “They are killing you, aren’t they?”

These were the defective turrets.

“Perhaps the turrets have found a way to use… Garrotes,” Wheatley decided, Kaito merely moving about the room to knock the things on their sides and semi activate the door’s lock. “That would explain the extremely quiet killing that I’m hearing… …Alright if you’re dying,” he decided, “But not dead, stomp once. If you’re dead, just, obviously no stomps, two stomps if you’re not dead. Alright so let me just run through that one more time–”

A loud clattering came over the air as he jumped from the cube and onto the grated floor, Wheatley’s laugh following soon after.

“HAH! Was that the sound of your bullet ridden body, flying out of the roo- ahhhh… Those were the crap turrets weren’t they…”

Yep.

It was almost sad how easy it was to get around things when he got the turrets that _weren’t_ defective out on the floor, actually. Almost.

“Aaaand, spinny blade wall–!”

He could simply pull himself out of the tractor beam, he wasn’t an idiot.

“Aah. Well. Good, good! A nemesis finally worthy of my  _vast intellect_.” Even if he could laugh, that was just  _sad_ – “Holmes versus Moriarty… Aristotle versus  _MASHY SPIKE PLATE!_ ”

There was a white wall right there, and he was going to just be re-directing his tractor beam now–

“STAY. STILL.  _PLEASE_.” No. “ALRIGHT STOP MOVING.” No.

The spiked platform was dangerously close as it was, and the comforting pace of the tractor beam was far less comforting for the moment. He could see the ledge from here however, and with the niche it was in, he would be safe from the platform… There was even a door there, if he’d just– “HAH! Almost got you there, almost got–”

He ducked around the hall and bolted.

“Where’d you go! Where’d you go,  _come back come back–!_ ”

It wouldn’t be quite so easy to get out, he’d admit that, but as long as Wheatley was as much of an idiot as he was, it was at least better than when GlaDOS had been running things.

Marginally.

 

* * *

 

They just needed to find  _Wheatley_. That was all.

“Crushing’s too good for him,” GlaDOS plotted. “First, a year in the incinerator… Year two, cryogenic refrigeration wing. Then ten years in the chamber I built where all the robots scream at you. _Then_ I’ll kill him.” Well, she could have fun with that.

He himself would be long gone.

Tremors shook through the floor with every step they took it seemed, and if he had to guess they had far less than an hour before the entire place blew.

“Oh my  _god._.. ”

He couldn’t tell if that was sunlight or firelight in the distance where the walls had crumbled to nothing.

“What has he  _done_ to this place…”

There wasn’t any time left. He could see the chamber where Wheatley would be located, and it would be a simple matter of redirecting a tractor beam in order to get there. No computer screens or cameras to spy on them, no way for him to know they had found a way in.

And in the slow motions of the beam, plenty of time to talk.

“You know, I’m not stupid. I realize you don’t wanna put me back in charge,” GlaDOS started, the two passing ruin after crumbling ruin as they were brought closer to the chamber. “You think I’ll betray you–and on any other day,” she went on, “You’d be right. The scientists were always hanging cores on me to regulate my behavior. I’ve heard voices all my life,” the potato murmured, and as they came to a stop on the platforms outside Wheatley’s chamber, he decided to listen as they walked. “But now I hear the voice of a conscience and it’s terrifying,” she whispered, “Because for the first time, it's  _my_  voice.”

… Her voice?

“I’m being serious,” she protested, as if to read the skepticism in his face. “I think there’s something seriously wrong with me!”

…Maybe.

Or maybe, he thought as he set a portal to access the insides of the chamber, it was something 'seriously right’.

 

* * *

 

“Corrupted cores. We’re in luck–you find a way to stun him, I’ll send you a core, and you attach it to him. If we do that enough times, he should become corrupt enough to initiate another core transfer.”

That was the plan.

The device he’d hooked Wheatley onto the last time they did this was here. Pulling the potato off the gun’s claw, he listened as she sighed. “Plug me in, and I’ll take us up.”

That was the plan, wasn’t it.

“Look. Even if you still think we’re enemies–” They were though, weren’t they? And they always would. “–We’re enemies with a common interest,” she went on, the device rotating as it carried them up and started. “ _Revenge_. You like revenge right? Everybody likes revenge! Well…

"Let’s go _get_ some!”

That was the plan, and as he went over it in his mind it seemed to move in slow motion. Unlike all the events of the day which had passed in snippets of fleeting memory, unlike all the conversations which became clipped and short, everything about the battle with Wheatley seemed to blur and extend, slowing to the point where if he focused he could recall the very details of the paint in the room, the scratches on the concrete, and even he ashen stains caused by the misfired bombs. 

Six minutes. Six minutes until the entire place blew. There were no portal surfaces, there were bomb shields at his level, and neurotoxin was back online and flooding.

There was also a pipe of 'conversion gel’ in the room.

The bomb shattered the glass and the gel coated everything–to distract him long enough to portal a bomb at him was simple, and attaching the cores was just as easy.

’ _Space space space–wanna go to space, space SPACE–_ ’

’ **Warning. Core corruption at 50 percent. Neurotoxin offline. Reactor explosion in–4–minutes.** ’

A pipe of repulsion gel must have broken somewhere. Wheatley was talking but he ignored it, and in seconds the next core was in.

’ _Quick what’s the situation– Oh lord, it's lookin’ pretty ugly ain’t it._ ’

’ **Warning. Core corruption at 75 percent. Reaction explosion timer–destroyed.** ’ Tch.

That had taken probably less than a minute as it was anyway though, and if he was right they only needed one more core…

’ **This facility will self destruct in two minutes.** ’

Another core in, another–orange gel splashed on the ground as the pipe burst, and running to attach it he couldn’t help but hear what the 'fact’ core spouted–

’ _It is now believed that less than 4% of the population can read minds-_ -’

’ **Warning. Core corruption at 100 percent.** ’ Yes. Wheatley snarled in annoyance as the platform GlaDOS was attached to rose up, and fires began to break out in the chambers around them. Sprinklers activated to wash all but what was beneath the large robot from sight, and to the side he could see the familiar switch–

“DON’T PUSH IT–!” “ _Push the button!_ ” “DON’T–!” “ _Just push it_! ” The room was grated off but the ceiling was white, the floor near Wheatley was white–

A simple matter of portals, really.

And with an outstretched hand–

- _BROUM!_ -

His ears were ringing as he was flung onto his stomach, the room around them falling further into disarray. Dimly, he could hear Wheatley laugh–’ _Part 5! Booby trap the stalemate button!_ ’ he roared, and in that instant he felt his vision grow red.

The gun was still tied to his wrists.

There was an energy flowing through him, something he could not describe, and his eyes seemed to shine as he rolled over onto is back.

“What– Are you still alive!?” Wheatley roared, his victim looking upward as the ceiling collapsed to reveal the distant sky above. “You have got to be joking–! Well. I’m still in control! And I ave no clue how to fix this place. Ohhhhh, you had to play cat and mouse didn’t you? Well now, we’re all going to bloody  _DIE_!”

His words were nothing as he looked up at the moon above, jaw clenched as his mind went to work. The moon… In the end, the moon itself was a 'white surface’, wasn’t it? In the end, distant as it was, with the speed of light, the speed of the portal gun–

“Oh sure, take one last look at your  _precious_  moon–!”

He grinned, and taking aim–

- _clk_ -

Fired.

“AAAh– NOO!  _NOO!_ ”

The air was being pulled through the portal with rapid force, and with nothing to hold he was immediately flung toward the massive robot before him. Dangling by mere wires Wheatley screamed, and Kaito’s hands snatched at the handles on the core’s sides as they were pulled through, the blond choking on his breath as it was rushed past him and thinned intensely in the same instant.

“HAHHH- AHHH– Space! LET GO!  _WE’RE IN SPACE–_ ” The space core snapped past with a loud and cheery roar and his grip threatened to falter as he glared at Wheatley’s blue-eyed being. “LET GO! I’M STILL CONNECTED, _I CAN FIX THIS! LET GO–_ ”

“I already fixed it!” His vision was fading as GlaDOS’ voice rang over the air, but he was still more than conscious enough to recognize it. A robotic arm poked through the portal as they were slowly retracted, and Wheatley’s eye widened. “And  _you_  are _not_  coming back–!”

“Oh no, change of plans–hold on to me! TIGHTER!  _AHH_ –” The robot was knocked aside and his grip released, body briefly starting to follow before something grabbed his wrist–

“ _GRAB ME, GRAB ME, GRAB ME–!_ ”

The portal closed. As he was dropped to the ground, he saw the robotic arm move to pull a familiar 'core’ off toward it, golden eye the last thing he registered as it all went black…

 

* * *

 

Gold.

Gold… Gold… Gold…

It was the colour of the warm sunlight he could feel on is face, of the light reflecting off the waters of the pond, shining through the trees above. Leafy grass and chirping birds, and for a moment, he heard a laugh…

He thought he heard a voice.

“ _Mr. Johnson is just in here_ ,” she said, the sound distant and watered. “ _Thank you for seeing us_.”

White walls, beeping machinery… He could make out bare shapes as the voices echoed around him, people bowing and shaking hands. “ _Pleased to meet you_ ,” a gruff voice spoke, Japanese broken and accented. “ _Name’s Cave. You’ve met my secretary Caroline,_ ” he continued, before breaking into a series of coughs.

“ _Careful, sir._ ”

“ _Hhahah… Don’t you worry, I’m not leaving yet… Now, Caroline will be taking you through the facility,_ ” he explained, Kaito’s eyes darting lazily from face to face as the sounds echoed. “ _And I need to thank you again for your funding, 'Dr. Faker’, it’s a real blessing_.”

“ _Not a problem, I look forward to working with your scientists._ ” Faker, faker… Did he know that name? “ _How about we discuss this alone for a moment–_ ”

The memory seemed to blur further–he was pulled into another room by the woman who had come with 'Faker’, her blue hair standing out clearly among the thoughts. “ _Now, as discussed earlier, we will allow your facilities to continue experimentation on an independent basis_ ,” the woman explained, “ _However in return, you will follow our instructions completely. We can’t afford any mistakes such as that 'moon rock’ fiasco, understand?_ ”

The other woman, somewhat aged, was silent. And so, the younger of them placed a reassuring hand on hers. “ _Caroline-san_ ,” she started. “ _Sometimes, we must lie to protect what we love, understand? You will be in charge now, Caroline-san. We hope to see good work from your Laboratories, understand?_ ”

There was still silence. However after a moment, Caroline nodded, taking the pen and signing the papers before her. “ _…Understood. I… …Thank you,_ ” she said with a swallow, before turning to face him. “ _And who’s this little one?_ ” The voices continued to waver, and the memory seemed to fluctuate, twisting and fading from view.

“ _Aah, yes, come here–Caroline-san, I’d like you to meet my–_ ”

’ _wake up_ ’

Caroline was different from all the portraits he’d seen of her, but something seemed to click, something that couldn’t be forgotten.

’ _wake up_ ’

As he felt himself move however, his eyes locked on the other woman’s blue hair, and more importantly, her eyes–

Gold.

“Oh thank _god_ … You’re alright.”

He opened his eyes, and as blue and orange-lit robots stepped aside, his vision cleared to be met again…

With gold.

 

* * *

 

Could it be said, perhaps, that he had been dead?

His body ached, and as he slowly pushed himself into a seated position, he slumped against the back end of the wall he could feel. Was it a lift he was in, he wondered? The glass was gone, he could feel that, and the sound of clattering told him that the portal gun he’d tied to his wrist had somehow managed to hold firm in the chaos earlier on.

The more his vision cleared, the more he could see–the panels of the chamber, restored in full, the cleared flooring…

And  _her_.

“Thank  _god_  you’re alright,” she sighed, and in the back of his mind he found himself unable to completely believe that this could be a lie. “You know, being Caroline taught me a valuable lesson. I thought you were my greatest enemy,” GlaDOS stated, Kaito merely attempting to regain his breath as he leaned back against the ruined lift. “But in reality, you were all that was left of a dear friend…”

A dear friend?

With his eyes closed he could see blue and gold, but he did not have them closed for long. His head bowed in weakness, they swiftly opened as GlaDOS continued to speak, her voice swiftly dropping the kind, and even human tone it had taken over time. “The surge of emotion that shot through me when I saved your life taught me an even more valuable lesson,” she purred.

“Where Caroline lives in my brain.”

“ **Caroline deleted.** ”

The lights began to dim around them and Kaito clenched his fist against the metal panel he sat upon, jaw tightening as he narrowed his eyes to glare at the great mechanical monstrosity before him. “Goodbye, Caroline. You know,” GlaDOS continued, turning her gaze upon him as his vision filled with red, “Deleting Caroline just now taught me another valuable lesson. The best solution to a problem is usually the easiest one…” Great.

Time for another fight, he told himself, body stiffening as he moved to grip the portal gun’s trigger. His breathing was laboured, and ragged however, and though his mind screamed for him to stand and get ready, the muscles protested and refused. The third time was a 'charm’.

Fourth was 'death’.

“And I’ll be honest. Killing you? _Is hard_. ”

What?

The stiffness faded. He felt his grip loosen from the gun’s handle, and as he looked up, GlaDOS brought her gold eyed gaze closer. “You know what my days used to be like? I just tested. Nobody murdered me. Or put me in a potato. Or fed me to birds. I had a pretty good life. And then _you_ showed up. You dangerous, mute, _lunatic_. So you know what? You win. ” The gaze narrowed, and as he looked up to the robot, he wondered if somehow, he could still be _dreaming_. “ Just. Go.”

A humming engine started, and as the lift began to rise upward, chuckling filled the air. “Hn _hnnnhnn_ … It’s been fun… Don’t come back.”

He was… Free. Free, he was going to get out, he’d be able to look for that  _thing_  that was missing, that thing he couldn’t quite place in his memory–

He turned, trembling as he struggled to pull himself to his feet while using the lift rail for support.

_-Wrrzzt-_

And then he froze. The sound of shifting met his ears, and from where he was barely standing against the railing he turned his head, eyes widening as his breathing caught in his throat. He should have known, he thought to himself, fired one last portal at the least. He should have known, and now four lasers were fixed upon him–

The lasers turned off.  
  
Idly, he could remember GlaDOS talking about a room where 'all of the robots scream'.

’ _Du-doo–du-du-du-doo–du-du-du-doo–du-du-duDO-dudu-dudu…’_

Instead of screaming however, he realized as he turned completely, they appeared to play some sort of tune. If he had to place it he thought as the lift shot upward again, he would even say it was the same as what he’d been whistling on and off as he took the tests before. That couldn’t be right though he thought as the lift slowed, eyes widening once again as he was met with the downward gaze of countless turrets. It couldn’t…

’ _Du-doo–du-du-du-doo–du-du-du-doo–du-du-duDO-dudu-dudu, Du-doo–du-du-du-doo–du-du-du-doo–du-du-duDO-dudu-dudu–_ ’

A choir.

The turrets–every single one of them–repeated a single note on their own time, and as it played he slowly straightened himself in shock, hand falling from the railing as he moved to look about at the numerous robots surrounding him. The lift continued to move–and the music played and in the back of his mind he could hear it clearly, unaffected by the warbled tones of the machinery, like a music box, like…

Like a [lullaby](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dpm1dFnC7B28&t=ZDUxZTBjOTUyYzY3YjFlNjNmZDYzZjU0ODIxYzk3ZGY2OTc2YmE1MiwzeVZyNVlIRQ%3D%3D&b=t%3A62eqFcn9aAW8jqHTTrhUqw&p=http%3A%2F%2Fusagisquared.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F58975398365%2Fyu-gi-oh-zexal-x-portal&m=1).

The lift continued to move, and looking upward his heart began to race. He really wasn’t dreaming, was he?

He was really leaving, wasn’t he? The music continued to play, even as it faded out behind him but in his mind it was clearer than anything he could have possibly thought within the facilities, even as the lift came to a stop and the sound of screeching metal ripped through the air, the door before him opening wide–

_-tpf-_

_-tpf-_

Out… Side…

He took his first steps on solid concrete, but only a few more and the boots on his feet met with grass. A resounding clatter met his ears as the door slammed shut, and above him the clouds were thick and dark, rumbling coming from overhead.

- _ptf_ -

Something hit his face.

_-patf-_

He looked up, blinking as water met his brow again, and almost blankly found himself staring at the clouds above.

Water.

Water was…

_-ptfptfptptptptptptptptptppt-_

Rain began to come down in torrents, however he couldn’t bring himself to do more than smile, as his closed eyes brought sunlight and grass to his mind, chirping birds, blue and gold and butterflies, and–

“ _Hahahha… HahaAHaHahaa! Found you!_ ”

He opened his eyes, the childish laughter in his mind fading.

And though the rain beat his bruised skin horribly, and though he had no idea where it was he was moving now, as he untied the jumpsuit top to create some cover for his portal gun he continued to walk.

…Whistling the notes to a lullaby he so distantly remembered even now.


	2. Augen

Run.

Run, run, run, there were red eyes watching from every corner, gold ones in his arms.

Run, he could hear their whispers  _(I-See-You_ ), run, this was his only chance, and bullets clattered against the walls and struck precious machinery but he could pay it no mind if he wanted out of this place so run, run, run–

“GHLK–”

“ _NII–!_ ”

He opened his eyes.

It was a standard ‘Relaxation Vault’ (two words which should never have been combined to describe anything, in his opinion), and that in itself was enough to spark suspicion and confusion in his mind. He was familiar enough with the vault–there wasn’t much to not be familiar with, even if awakening only once. It was a mobile glass chamber in a room of concrete, a chair and side table for observation at the side.

Getting out of the bed he was in brought more suspicion–there were knee enhancing devices on his legs, devices meant to allow a safe landing from even terminal velocity.

Devices that he, given previous 'incidents’, should not have ever seen.

When he was awake, it was the 'simple’ tests which they put him through. Things such as drug tests, or 'how long subjects can withstand cryogenic stasis’. Small things.

Things that wouldn’t involve him attempting to run past the defense turrets, break through a doorway with one, and make a mad dash for the upper facilities in order to escape for good, or at least that was what he’d gathered when he was being put under. It had only happened once of course.

Once, however, was more than enough.

“ **Hello and again welcome to the Heartland Sciences computer-aided enrichment center** ,” a computerized voice started above, Kaito looking up from where he’d been flipping through an apparently abandoned clipboard on the side. “ **We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one.** ” He chose to largely ignore whatever the machine was saying for the moment; looking through these papers was honestly more informational than it ever would be, and he was frankly confused as to how they could have left this behind. It was almost worrying…

“ **For your own safety and the safety of others, please refrain from–b _SsHLKT-_ -**”

He blinked, looking up as the speakers crackled and swapped to some foreign language at high speeds, eyes wide.

“ _fsHRLLkGH_ –  **stand back,** ” the computer blankly requested, the papers in Kaito’s hands still loosely gripped in his shock. “ **The portal will open in three. Two. One.** ”

Portals.

It took only a glance at the paper before the clipboard was placed to the side, the blond taking a brief moment to inspect the portals in question before hopping through. So this is what they were testing, was it?

Well then, he decided, soon moving on into the chamber lift after dragging an enormous cube onto an activation switch. 

It would probably be worth playing along then, while he looked for a way out. The tests were almost painfully menial, true, and the statements given by the recordings were more than a little off-kilter, but that was only further incentive, wasn’t it? Within two tests after all, he could see the device that would give him a steady shot at leaving–

“ **Please be advised that a noticeable taste of blood is not part of any test protocol but is an unintended side effect of the Heartland Sciences Material Emancipation Grill which may in semi- rare cases emancipate dental fillings, crowns, tooth enamel, and teeth.** ”

He couldn’t help but run his tongue over his teeth when it said that, but as it was, the device was in view. It was firing portals of a deep blue, and once he’d grabbed it, the mechanized voice met the air again.

“ **Very good. You are now in possession of the Heartland Sciences Handheld Portal Device. With it you can create your own portals. These intra-dimensional gates** ,” it explained, Kaito firing the gun off to test it at that very moment, “ **Have proven to be completely safe. The device however has not.**

” **Do not touch the operational end of the device. Do not look directly at the operational end of the device. Do not submerge the device in liquid even partially. More importantly under no circumstances should you– _pFSSTZZT–_** “

He frowned, eyeing the camera at the side suspiciously. With the facility like this, one would have thought that was fixed by now, after all…

They were like that. Precise. Intolerant. 

Another simple test solved after he found no possible escape from the chamber room, and the recordings continued to play. ” **Well done. Remember: The Heartland Sciences 'Bring your child to work day’ is the perfect time to have them tested.** “

No.

Though that explained why he had yet to see so much as a shadow in the observation rooms.

In fact, fabrications about unmonitored rooms aside, that as well was beginning to trigger bits of paranoia at the back of his mind. Aside from himself, there was no one but the voice. Aside from himself there was nothing, but as the tests grew mildly more dangerous, adding in toxic waters and highly condensed energy pellets, he forced himself to push such thoughts to the side of his mind. He needed to focus on finding some way out–and if he’d only had access to firing _both_ portals, he quietly thought to himself in annoyance, he could have very likely at least _tried_ something by now–the number of times he could have flung an energy pellet toward an observation room, using the portals to fling himself through and out of the testing areas…

He came to a stop on one of the platforms within the larger test chambers, and the robotic voice chimed in from above.

” **Momentum–a function of mass and velocity–is conserved between portals,** “ it explained, Kaito quickly drowning it out as it rambled on about what he already knew. ” **In layman’s terms: speedy thing goes in-** -“

A portal was fired at the concrete wall above, and he leaped down from the ledge into the portal below.

” **–Speedy thing comes out.** “

If he could have actually made a hissing sound, he likely would have, a grimace nonetheless appearing on his face as his toes slid across the ground for landing. The friction caused a mild burn, one which had him shaking out each foot as he made his way into the chamber lift on the other end of the door. Ah, well. Friction burn.

A small price to pay for getting out of the place, and in fact, mere moments later he would find his grimace replaced with a smirk. Aha…

Second portal obtained. Of course, it seemed that in the rooms immediately following, he would be greeted with largely textured walls which prevented any portal use to leave… However that didn’t mean he wasn’t about to try anything. So, after flinging himself a number of meters onto another platform exit, he continued on.

_-phszzT-zzzT-_

” **Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee– fZZzT** “

The lights flickered, and he paused, narrowing his eyes. Alright–extreme hazards he could expect. While his memory on the first 'testing round’ was fuzzy, he knew for a fact that they didn’t mind pointing armed machinery directly at orange jumpsuits. Carefree chatter on hazardous consequences, thus, were equally expected.

However Heartland Sciences would never have tolerated, for an instant, something such as a power out on top of the machine malfunctions that this recording system had made thus far. Moving on did not help these thoughts, and if anything, further intensified the fact that he needed to come up with some way out.

” **As part of a previously mentioned test protocol, we can no longer lie to you.** “ Bullshit. ” **When the testing is over, you will be…**

“ _ **Missed.**_ ”

That was even more bullshit than the last one.

“ **The Enrichment Center is committed to the well being of all participants,** ” the computer greeted in the test chamber immediately following, Kaito deciding to return to his previous technique of simply ignoring it to inspect every corner of the area for some way out. “ **Cake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test. Thank you for helping us help you help us all.** ”

That–

Never mind. Calling this science center out on their lie was becoming redundant. As it were, the test chamber’s provided challenges told him something useful–the glass in these rooms were entirely indestructible, or at least by high density energy pellets which could likely be the equivalent of a miniature sun.

The same went for turret fire, but he knew that already.

“ **Due to mandatory scheduled maintenance the appropriate chamber for this testing sequence is currently unavailable. It has been replaced with a live fire course designed for military androids. The Enrichment center apologizes for the inconvenience and wishes you the best of luck.** ” Once again, the recordings were drowned out. It was easier to focus on disabling the turrets that way, and if anything even necessary–the very sound of their voices seemed to cause him to pause, mind flashing back to the sounds of labored breathing and running, the feeling of something piercing his side–

He rubbed the side in question as he looked down to the floor, frowning. ’ _H E L P_ ’, it read in romanji. That word… That was…

’ _Tasukete_ ’, right? That’s what that one meant wasn’t it?

The panel was held off to the side by two cubes, and after moving them to the side with the portal gun he crawled in behind it. Whoever had lived here was obviously 'troubled’. Scribbles all over the wall, some in Japanese, most in English–empty cans and mugs, and aside from that the rest of the room was merely fenced off, walls too ruined to create portals against.

’ _The Cake is a Lie_ ’–honestly he didn’t even care about the cake, assuming he’d believed there would be one anyway. Given whatever this had been written in however…

He left the room and carried on, making good use of the cubes as shields to the turrets whilst knocking them down. Even so, he couldn’t help but notice as he moved on, that there were markings scribbled behind just where a portal could help him most…

Markings not unlike those he’d found in the hideaway just then.

Rather interesting how insistent the computer was that the cube was inanimate and inaudible, he had to note, pausing in the next chamber to investigate another niche in the wall. Another 'den’ of sorts, probably from the same one as before. There were plenty of cameras in there, all deactivated and piled to the side. A useless effort, taking those down.

The cameras were just for show after all. The computer being able to tell what he was doing even after taking them down said as much.

“ **You did it. The weighted Companion Cube certainly brought you good luck,** ” the computer hummed at the end of the chamber, as if to add support to the thought. “ **However, it cannot accompany you for the rest of the test and unfortunately must be euthanized. Please escort your Companion Cube to the Heartland Sciences Emergency Intelligence Incinerator.** ” It was a box.

It was a box of metal with a heart stamped on it. If they thought he was so desperate for companionship that he would believe a box with a heart stamped on it to be sentient in anyway, then they’d clearly underestimated his intelligence more than he already assumed.

Then again, the chamber 'introducing’ momentum had already done that…

The box was dropped into the incendiary chute, and as he walked into the lift, he again chose to ignore the voice of the computer.

“ **You euthanized your faithful companion cube more quickly than any test subject on record. Congratulations.** ” Hn.

This lift ride felt longer somehow, than the others. 

“ **The experiment is nearing its conclusion. The Enrichment Center is required to remind you that you will be baked, and then there will be cake.** ”

_He_  would be baked? He hopped off to the side after crossing the first gap of the chamber, finding himself in another dilapidated area of the facility. This one wasn’t grated off, for once–however, he realized with a growl, that didn’t matter.

The door handle was gone, and trying any other method to pry it free was failing miserably. ’ _You will be baked_ ’, the computer had said. Most other test subjects would probably assume a slip of the tongue. A mistake.

If they didn’t they’d probably be too terrified to do much about it.

With the test as complex as it was however, he could not ignore the likely hood that he next one would be his last chance to find a way out however.

“ **Welcome to the final test.** ”

And now he couldn’t ignore it at all.

“ **When you are done, you will drop the device in the equipment recovery annex.** ” Like hell. “ **Enrichment Center regulations require both hands to be empty before any cake– _ssgHRLlgnHGH–_** ” He seriously doubted there was even a cake to begin with.

So no.

His time was limited now. With the platform moving as it was, it was obvious that his 'one shot’ would be during whatever the facility decided to do instead of presenting a 'cake’.

Even so, as 'congratulations’ played overhead, and the platform turned the final corner, his eyes widened considerably. Fire.

’ _You will be baked_ ’.

_Fire_ , he was going to be wheeled into a damn _incinerator-_ -

“ **All Heartland technologies remain safely operational up to 4000 degrees Kelvin,** ” the computer droned, the heat beginning to press against him even as the platform slowly approached the chamber. He ducked down, craning his neck to look into the room around it–fire like this… Fire like this would need space for ventilation, walkways for observation and maintenance, and walls– “ **Rest assured that there is absolutely no chance of a dangerous equipment malfunction prior to your victory candescence** _,_ ” he heard in the background, taking aim with the Portal gun as he passed beneath the wall. Hot, hot, hot…

He was probably already burned just by standing here, but with one more portal–

“ **Thank you for participating in this Heartland Sciences computer-aided enrichment activity. Goodbye.** ”

Kaito smirked, and hopping through the portal to safely land on the observing platform moved.

“ **What are you doing? Stop it. _I– I–_** ” The recordings sputtered while he launched himself at the next maintenance platform, quite unable to entirely keep a smirk off his face as he moved within the 'walls’ of the facility. “ _We are pleased that you made it through the final challenge where we pretended we were going to murder you. We are very, very happy for your success. We are throwing a party in honor of your tremendous success._ ” Did they honestly think he would believe a single word they said? “ _Place the device on the ground, then lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides. A party associate will arrive shortly to collect you for your party._ ” No. “ _Make no further attempt to leave the testing area._ ” Already gone. Too bad. “ _Assume the party escort submission position or you will miss the party._ ” Well, he supposed he would have to miss the 'party’ then.

These doors, for the most part, had a handle on them. Passing through them however he had to drop the smirk, portal gun at the ready as he looked around. Still no one here… Not a single person here, what the  _hell_  was going on…

“ _I know you’re here,_ ” the computer hissed through distant speakers. “ _I can_ feel _you here…_ ” So the AI was omnipresent then.

Not enough to 'see’ him at least, so there was comfort in that…

Coming through another door brought him to a series of observation rooms, and as he passed the knocked down chairs he swallowed. Empty. Abandoned. There wasn’t even a body or a note left behind. It was simply abandoned, with his only companion amid the rusting and ruined frames being the notes of whatever maddened escapist had preceded him, and the panicked voice of the computer.

One of the transport tubes had a hole in it. Following it down brought him back to the 'fourth test chamber’, and as he broke down to the ground the computer’s voice came in over the air. “ **Okay. The test is over now. You win. Go back to the recovery annex. For your cake. It was a fun test and we’re all impressed at how much you won,** ” it attempted pathetically, “ **The test is over. Come back.** ”

No.

It was easy to portal into the chamber with the door now, and with no lift to block his way he dropped down through the shaft and back into the ruinous backrooms of the facility. “ **Uh oh. Somebody cut the cake. I told them to wait for you, but they did it anyway. There is still some left, though, if you hurry back** _ **.**_ ”

He didn’t care about the  _damn cake_ , he thought, crawling between a few lowered ceilings as he avoided the slow moving pistons of the facility. ’ _You’re not even going the right way_ ’, the computer chimed distantly.  _'Hello? Is anyone there?_ ’

’ _Hello? Can you hear me?_ ’

“ _ **You’re not a good person. You know that right?**_ ”

The further into the facilities he moved, the easier it was to ignore whatever the computer said. Passing ruined remains of whatever hideaways had been made by that last escapist, and pushing from mind the sting of the residual burn from the incinerator room. Pistons were useful–and also deadly–with what would typically crush becoming the perfect lift through a portal in the only place he could apply it.

For some reason as the computer spoke, he couldn’t entirely ignore the words this time however.

“ **Good people don’t end up here.** ”

He held his head, shaking himself as he forced himself to carry on, following the pipes of the room and the pistons to a chamber where he could grasp a nearby railing and struggle to get his bearings straight. Probably the fumes from whatever was being pumped about this place…

Yea…

There were turrets guarding the deepest portions of the facility, and as a bullet grazed the side of his arm he hissed, waiting for the collapsed robot to enter its error induced stasis.

’ _No-Hard-Feelings._ ’

Somehow the words felt painful in his mind. He could hear echoed voices of men, of scientists, all responding to one single voice shouting ’ _Silence him! Silence him_!’

“ **This is your fault,** ” the robot snarled, Kaito continuing to shake himself as the voices within his mind faded. It was pointless, wasn’t it? ’ _Silence him’_? What point would there even be to that–he couldn’t talk. He couldn’t make so much as a sound, not for as long as he could remember. Not for…

“ **It didn’t have to be like this. I’m not kidding now. Turn back or I will kill you.** ” As if it wouldn’t already do that, he thought to himself, crouching as he came within another low ceiling area. “ **I’m going to kill you,** ” it repeated, “ **And all the cake is gone.** ” Hah.

“ **You don’t even care. Do you.** ”

No. He didn’t.

As he forced back the visions of masked surgeons ( _scientists, his mind corrected, **scientists**_ )–of hushed whispers for silence, calm assurances that it was 'almost over’ ( _as a roaring cry slowly faded to a whisper, which faded into nothing but a voiceless scream–_ ), he moved. Turrets lined every wall it seemed, and in his memory he could faintly see the same, lasers chasing any movement there was, as precious equipment sparked and blew in the aftermath. ’ _Silence him, silence him_ ,’ he heard as he jumped, red eyes cracking with panicked ’ _owowowowowows_ ’ and sirens blaring overhead. ’ _NOW, SILENCE HIM! **BEGIN THE OPERATION**!_ ’ he heard, head pounding as his vision flooded with light.

His bare feet walked along the extensive metal bridge he’d found, and just as the screams in his mind, the sounds began to silence as well, the whiteness fading, and the headaches beginning to calm.

’ _Mere silence will not stop this boy_ ’

He hardly knew what it was he was recalling, but even so he had to agree, opening the door labeled 'No Admittance’, and cautiously stepping forward as he ignored the blood trickling down his arm.

’ _Certainly help make testing rounds bearable however_.’

“ **This is your last chance,** ” the computer rumbled, Kaito merely eyeing the slate grey hallways as he walked through. Empty. Again still empty, something had happened here but what,  _what_?

Most of the doors here were missing their handles. If he looked through the glass on the presentation room, all there was were repeating slides on something called 'Black Mesa’, some company in the USA from what he could gather. There was only one place left to go. Part of him wanted to be hopeful of the idea that it would lead to an exit. The other was merely confident that whatever it was, it would stop whatever this computer was from killing him. As it were, between the suspended chamber he could see through the glass, and the hallway preceded by a sign reading 'WEAR YOUR RESPIRATOR’, most of his thoughts were leaning toward the latter. Whatever lay before him, would end things one way or the other.

However it would be a marginally better option than going back, and he  _could not go back_. Not when his heart surged with the drive to 'get out’, when it took all he had to so much as convince himself that whatever time it took to succeed, it would still be worth the inability to escape in an instant, still worth the fact that he could not and did not 'rush’.

“Well you found me,” the computer started as he came in, passing the emancipation grill and subtly allowing his eyes to glance at the computer stations at the side. Empty chairs knocked to the ground, computers stringing data forever after they were abandoned, with a single subject line denoting their target.

'GlaDOS’.

“Congratulations,” GlaDOS droned. “Was it worth it? Because despite your violent behavior,” it continued, Kaito stepping in to observe the massive robot, “The only thing you’ve managed to break so far is my heart. Maybe you could settle for that and we’ll just call it a day,” it went on, not even hesitating to continue. “I guess we both know that isn’t going to happen. You chose this path. Now I have a surprise for you. Deploying surprise in five, four…”

_-CLNK-_

Something round fell from GlaDOS’ chassis, and as he walked over to pick it up, GlaDOS froze. It was the size of his arm, and in the grip of the portal gun swiveled up and down until eventually freezing entirely, staring back with a glazed LED eye of violet.

“Time out for a second,” it stated, Kaito’s eyes darting around the room as a plan began to form. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. Do you see that thing that fell out of me? What is that? It’s not the surprise. I’ve never seen it before,” it protested, the blond below moving to carry it off near the back end of the room. He recognized this chute–an 'Emergency Intelligence Incinerator’. And if this was a piece of GlaDOS…

“Never mind. It’s a mystery I’ll solve later. By myself. Because you’ll be dead,” the robot decided, Kaito dropping the strange motionless sphere and following the indicator lights by the incinerator toward the nearby covered switch. “What are you doing with that thing?” GlaDOS questioned. “That thing is probably some kind of raw sewage container. Just ignore that thing and stand still,” it demanded, the teen merely ignoring it as he fired a portal above the incinerator chute. “I am being serious now. Think about it. If that thing is important then why don’t I know about it.”

He smirked. Well.

_-clk-_

_-pSHM-_

Obviously because whoever installed it wanted a failsafe.

The second portal formed beneath the core, and as it fell into the chute there was the sound of a small explosion, Kaito turning his attentions back to the massive robot in the center of the room. “You are kidding me. Did you just stuff that Heartland Sciences Thing We-Don’t-Know-What-It-Does into a Heartland Sciences Emergency Intelligence Incinerator, that has got to be the dumbest thing that whoa–whoa– _whoawhoa **WHOAH**_ **WHOA–** ”

“Hnh _nhehehehahahhaa_ …”

Suddenly he regretted that.

“ _Good news_ ,” GlaDOS purred, sounding far more 'human’ in tone as Kaito stared behind the protected switch chamber. “I figured out what that thing you just incinerated did. It was a morality core they installed after I flooded the Enrichment Center with a deadly neurotoxin,” she hummed, “To make me stop flooding the Enrichment Center with a deadly neurotoxin. So get comfortable while I warm up the neurotoxin emitters,” the robot chuckled, spouts revealing themselves from above as a noxious gas began to pour in. “Starting now, there’s going to be a lot less conversation… And a lot more  _killing_. ”

A timer appeared on the wall as Kaito grew white, counting down from six minutes of toxin release. If he had to guess, the remaining spheres–like eyes, all of them–attached to the robot were somehow powering her, but all the same if he was wrong…

Well all the same he had no other choice, he decided, a rocket turret sliding up from the floor. “Interesting,” GlaDOS noted. “That core may have had some ancillary responsibilities. I can’t shut off the turret defenses.” In a room full of concrete, with a delayed firing response… “Oh well,” the robot decided, apparently ignorant to the portals Kaito was now placing. “If you want my advice, you should just lie down in front of a rocket. Trust me,” she continued, the blond smirking darkly as he sidestepped from where the guiding laser of the rocket now locked through the portals. “It’ll be a lot less painful than the neurotoxin.”

- _BrrrOOOOnN_ -

- _ **BROUM!**_ -

There was no apparent reaction to being hit with a rocket, aside from a brief shake from under the recoil as the second of her cores flew off and landed above the doorway. He noted, as he moved to send a portal behind it, that the rockets were briefly deactivated now that the core was disconnected however.

Probably some sort of defense mechanism, given the fact that the neurotoxin was still firing.

“Did you hear me?” she questioned, the blond hurriedly carrying the device toward the incinerator. There was a buzzing in his head, some sort of humming noise that refused to leave, and as the toxin filled the air he forced himself to 'blink’ it off and keep moving. “I said you don’t care. Are you listening?” No, he wasn’t, no, he didn’t care, and frankly if he didn’t focus he really  _would_  die in here and for some reason other than self-preservation that was an option he simply  _could not take_. There was something important, his mind hissed at him, feeding him thoughts that had, even through prior escape attempts, been dulled somehow. Something important 'out there’, something vital that he needed to find, and it was blue, and gold, as gold as GlaDOS’ single, shining eye–

“The talking is over.”

The portal was formed and the second core, eagerly questioning his intentions and appearances with all the curiosity of a small child, was burned in the flames.

“NRA _AUGH_ –”  _That_  got a response. “You think you’re doing some damage?” GlaDOS hissed, the rocket turrets rising again while her voice glitched and scattered through incorrect and intelligible facts. “I’M  _ **FINE**_!” she roared. “ I let you survive this long because I was curious about your behavior. Well,” the robot continued, yet again unable to do anything as Kaito aimed the turret’s laser toward her trembling form, “You’ve managed to destroy that part of me!” The taunts didn’t matter.

_'I can’t get the neurotoxin into your head any faster’_

The threats didn’t matter.

’ _There was even going to be a party for you. A big party that all your friends were invited to. But they couldn’t come because you don’t have any friends. Because of how unlikable you are.’_

None of it mattered, and the rocket fired again as he jumped to the side and hopped in anticipation, ready to aim and fire another portal toward wherever the third core fell.

“’ _Shall not be mourned_ ’. That’s exactly what it says. Very formal. Very official. It also says you were 'left’ here not too long ago. Hardly a file left for you. Curious, isn’t it?”

- ** _BROUM_** -

The third core fell upon the ledges protecting GlaDOS from above, and with a running leap through the portals he had it in his grasp. This time he had an easier way to destroy the core however.

“RAU _UUGHH…_ ”

This time he simply created a portal between the switch and the incinerator, dropping the core into the flames as it droned on about the various ways to make a cake.

“Kuh… Neurotoxin..  _Kh-KHKUH_ … So deadly…  _Choking_ …” He himself could only grind his teeth as his vision blurred, his own coughs silent and extremely real, as the buzzing and mutterings continued to plague the back of his mind. “I’m  _kidding_! Hnhahahhaha… When I said deadly neurotoxin the deadly was in massive sarcasm quotes, ” GlaDOS chuckled, her attacker trembling against the poison’s effects as he struggled to get the turret’s steady aim at the robot through his portals. “I could take a  _bath_  in the stuff, put it on cereal, rub it right into my eyes. Honestly, it’s not deadly at all.

"To me. _You_  on the other hand,” she continued, Kaito taking a deep breath behind his arm as the rocket launched, “Are going to find its deadliness a lot less funny.”

_**-BROUM-** _

He could hear a child coughing in the back of his mind, small screams as something hit his side, as his vision blurred and as he continued to  _run._

“Who’s gonna make the cake when I’m gone,  _you_? ” GlaDOS taunted, her voice growing more and more irritated as he rushed to pull the last core from her grasp. “What’s your point anyway?  _Survival_? I have your brain scanned and permanently backed up in case something terrible happens to you. Stop squirming and die like an adult or I’m going to delete it, ” she continued, her voice drowned out by the sounds of screaming in his mind and snarls from the core as it writhed in the Portal Gun’s grasp. Last core last core, he told himself, shooting the final portals and slamming his elbow against the switch. It was the last core and the timer was down to two minutes, last core, and his vision was growing white–

“ _STOP_! Okay, enough–I deleted it. No matter what happens now, you’re dead. The part of you that could have survived indefinitely is gone, ” she screeched, the final core dropped into the incinerator. “I just struck you from the perm _anN WOAH NOnNO **OWaRrghLknGN-**_ **-** ”

The screens blew out and as the robot’s garbled speech repeated her earlier lines the roof began to collapse upward, Kaito’s eyes widening. All the loose parts of the chamber were being pulled upward he realized, fleeing through the still open portal and into the covered switch bay. Everything was being snatched up in a vacuum upward, GlaDOS’ form tearing itself to shreds as it was lost to the wind, his own mind filling again with the fading scream of some unknown voice, some sound that his mind told himself to remember but he couldn’t, he _couldn’t_ , and as the roof was snapped from the ground he grabbed wildly at the railing that was left behind.

’ _SILENCE HIM_.’ he heard a voice in his mind command, neither shouting nor calmly speaking. ’ _NO NEWS OF THIS IS TO LEAVE THE ROOM!_ ’

The portal gun had long since been dropped–much as he knew it was useful it wasn’t worth his neck, he needed to stay  _alive_  to get out of this place, for it to be worth anything, for him to find that 'thing’ in his mind, that thing of blue, blue and gold–

“ _HahahaHA_!”

His eyes widened in the rushing wind, childish laughter meeting his ears. The shock was such that his grip came loose, and with an open mouth that could emit no scream he was launched upward into the chaos, beaten form left victim to the path of the winds. Laughter. He thought he could hear laughter–

And as his eyes closed over…

Music.

“ **Thank-you-for-assuming-the-party-escort-submission-position.** ”

The last thing he saw as he finally blacked out, body laying back on the pavement of the facility grounds above the surface, was a large, unblinking eye, metal arms grabbing his own and pulling him back into the darkness…a sky of red, a pillar of a darker blood-stained hue surging far off, as beams of light seemed to twinkle as stars...

 ...

And in his mind, nothing but gold.


	3. Gedächtnis

**FILE: //search key: tenjou**

**… NO RESULT**

**… //search key: kaito**

**… SEARCHING…**

**SEARCHING…**

**69 FILES FOUND**

**//refine: physical attributes: eyes: blue**

**SEARCHING…**

**SEARCHING…**

**SEARCHING…**

**39 FILES FOUND**

**//refine: physical attributes: hair: blond**

**SEARCHING…**

**SEARCHING…**

**SEARCHING…**

**1 FILE FOUND**

**//open: TEST SUBJECT FILE 1498 – KAITO [NAME REDACTED]**

**OBSERVATION FILE ACCESSED**

**//open: OBSERVATION FILE [DATE REDACTED]**

It had been for his own safety.

Haruto’s treatment was for his own safety as well, but when the treatment began to slowly destroy his mind, he decided that enough was enough. Until then, his treatments were always done within the  facilities outside the city, the building formerly known as ‘Aperture’ that had since been bought out for  Heartland’s use a few years prior. Until then, that was always where Haruto would recover  immediately after such treatments, before returning home. Rather…

Until now.

“Hah… Hahh.. Hah…”

“Nii-san, are you alright?" his brother was asking, still half dazed in his grip. "What’s that sound?”

_'I-See-You’ 'AAAAH–AHHHH-AHHH!’ 'Are-You-Still-There?’_

The sounds of turrets rang through his ears and he’d since scooped his brother up into his arms, the  boy still dazed from whatever procedures had been done. This was his only chance, his brother’s  only chance, he  _needed_  to get him out, away from this place–

He’d tried playing along after all and playing along didn’t work, it just made things  _worse_.

“KNgh… Kk… I’m fine!” he assured his brother, ignoring the pain in his side even as it began to affect his gait. A turn around the corner and they were swiftly running into a stairwell, bullets  ricocheting off the walls behind him from where they’d been safely sabotaged.

The ones that hit him were coincidence after all, merely grazes–

Nothing had, or would, hit his brother, and as it was the fact that he was dealing with armed sentries was something he had found entirely unexpected from the start.

There were explosions on the air as they fled that place. Fried circuitry, ringing 'error’ tones, and as they took refuge in a distant wind farm, he finally allowed himself to sit. Or perhaps, more accurately…

His body forced him to.

“Nii-san, are you okay? Nii-san?”

Haruto was crying.

“Shhh… It’s fine, alright? See?” he 'laughed’, forcing a smile onto his face. With the hand that had not yet touched his side, he reached into his equally untouched pocket, pulling something out. “Here–take this… It’ll make you feel better alright, we’re going to be fine…”

Haruto saw his other hand.

“N.. Nii-san… Is that…”

He hid it as quickly as he could, but the damage had been done. “It’s fine, alright? Don’t worry,  I’m–”

“ _DETAIN THEM!_ ” Shit.

“Haruto, stay back–!”

“NII-SAN!”

“NG _HK-_ -” Lights.

“KAITO-NIISAN!”

Lights and loud ringing, staining his ears as his injuries caught up with him and his mouth was tainted  with the taste of copper. “GK… HARUTO–!” Amid the sounds of the chopper, the shouts of  security, the clicking of whatever devices they had on hand, batons beating against his body,  restraining him as he reached out– “ _HARUTOOOOO–!_ ”

And then darkness.

**//open: MEDICAL FILE [DATA LOST]**

Lights.

’ _He’s losing blood!_ ’

Lights and shouts he could barely recall, the sounds dull in his mind.

’ _Sir, what should we tell–_ ’

A door opened, and slammed shut, cutting off the statement before it was answered.

’ _We are doing the best we can,_ ’ he thought he heard. ’ _However…_ ’

“ ** _Regretfully, Doctor Faker, I must report that 'the best’ was not good enough._** ”

By the time this message was given, he had long since been treated for his wounds.

“Ngk… Sff…”

“ **Good-Morning. For-Your-Own-Safety,-Please-Refrain-From-Unnecessary-Movements.** ”

He awoke in what looked to be a hospital room, bandages tightly wrapped around the points he’d been shot, and machines at the side giving readings of his vitals. It hadn’t worked. He’d run, he’d  been out, and it hadn’t worked. By this time, Haruto would be back in his 'treatment’, and by the time he could move again…

“Kaito.” Heartland’s voice met his ears, and though he filled with rage he held his tongue. “Will you truly do anything for your brother? After all, even as I gave you the tools to assist him, you turned  them so _rudely_  against us…”

His jaw clenched. Yes, he’d fucked up. Yes, he knew that. And dammit he was watching his brother slip away, watching as the smile became a glazed and wide-eyed expression which showed nearly no reaction, no response to anything _was it so much to want to save him from that_!?

“What do you want me to do?”

Heartland smiled.

“ _You have already done it_.”

“What?” It hurt to speak still, and as he narrowed his eyes he moved to sit up, hospital warnings be  damned.

“Regretfully, it would seem your actions have caused  _incredible_  damages to these facilities… To the point where we have been set back a number of weeks in fact, and been severely affected in our funding… You could even say,” Heartland continued lowly, “That it has exceeded your  _worth_.”

He wasn’t an idiot.

Even so he could not stop the question that came out of his mouth, his eyes widening as his fists  clenched. “ _ **WHAT**_ –!?”

“Our main computer will have to wait… If at least until we successfully transfer dear Haruto back to Heartland Tower. You, however…”

Before he could react he felt a rush of some _thing_  from the IV, and his shout died in his throat as his vision faded.

“ _Will be dealt with properly this time_ …”

When he woke up, he was no longer in the bed. Where he was however, made it plain to him that what came next would not be good. “LET ME GO–!” he snapped, pulling at the straps that held him  down. “LET ME–”

“Now now Kaito… Surely you know why you’re here.”

**_Heartland_**?

_'Silence him.’ 'BEGIN THE OPERATION–!’_

“NGH–H _RRAAAGH–_ ”

Their 'operation’ was not one of blades.

“ _RAAAA **AAAUUUUGGGGHH** –_”

It was not one of chemicals, of injections or incisions of any sort, at least not in that moment as far as he could see. Maybe it had involved something being placed _inside_  him, there was simply no questioning it with _these_  people, but as he screamed the pain in his throat failed to decrease.

Not like the sound of his voice.

And it felt as though the very insides of his throat were on fire–as if there was something inside his neck, picking and choosing what to dissolve, and then doing so without mercy. The more he screamed the quieter it became, sounds distorting as they faded and as his eyes widened with a terror like no other. And the quieter it became…

’ _Breathing is failing–’ 'The airway is closing, begin the procedure now!_ ’

Why wouldn’t his throat move… Why couldn’t he just breathe in, just breathe in–!

’ _Scalpel!’_

_BREATHE–_!

“–!”

When opened his mouth to breathe again, the gasp was silent. There was no sound to accompany the rush of air as his lungs slowly returned to a 'regular’ rhythm, no noise to herald the reawakening.  There was only silence.

Complete, and utter, silence.

He made a break for it as soon as he could.

’ _RESTRAIN HIM–!’ 'DON’T LET HIM REACH THE TURRET CHAMBERS!_ ’

No longer could he scream in rage let alone in pain, nor could he grunt in discomfort or annoyance. He couldn’t even hear the sounds of his own breath and he  _hated_  it, and if they were going this far then he needed to get out  _now_. Otherwise who knew what would happen.

Make Haruto an 'only child’, most likely.

’ _Just because we muted him, doesn’t mean he’ll play nice_ ,’ he heard as he awoke, vision fading in and out under the effects of whatever it was they used to knock him out. ’ _We could probably stick him in a core of course…’_

’ _But a core would be a pain.’_

_'Still, determination like that–_ ’

’ _You’d kill us all for something else entirely. At least right now we still get things done!_ ’ Core? He didn’t know what a core was, but it probably wasn’t anything he’d enjoy. The fact that even they were having second thoughts–

’ _My dear scientists!_ ’ he heard someone speak, and in that instant it was as though whatever holding  him back was simply banished from his body. ’ _The solution is obvious I should think! I have been  told after all, that at the lowest levels, your current 'Memory Erasure’ experiment is most painful is it not? Well, now, no matter how hard he tries there won’t be a sound of protest! So then, why not–_ ’

Memory… Erasure?

He felt himself tremble with rage as he struggled to free himself, mouth opening to give a scream that  would never come. He managed to free one fists as someone came over to pin him down, one fist as he slammed it across one of the scientist’s faces, eyes shining with some great and unknown power.  And if he could only free the second one–

“ _Gotcha–!_ ”

“ **Injection-Successful**.”

He felt his vision grow black again, and amid the rage in his heart there came a sliver of fear with it.

When he awoke again, there was no time for either emotion.

By the time he was even aware of where he was in fact, he was 'screaming’, mouth wide as nothing escaped it, body hung between two great electrified devices as shocks were sent shuddering through  his very being, filling his vision with white (like photon mode wasn’t it?), white, white to the blinding  point (It  _was_  called photon mode right?), before white finally turned to black and his breathing slowed to suit the unconscious state he was in.

It wasn’t until he awoke that he realized what they were doing. Perhaps he should have realized it  earlier–Heartland had made the suggestion before he blacked out after all, so why wouldn’t it turn  out to be just that?

“ **Good-Morning-Test-Subject,** ” he was greeted, the blond looking over himself and the room he was  locked within with considerable distaste. “ **Thank-you-for-taking-part-in-the-Heartland-Sciences- Enrichment-Center-Mind-Reading-Testing-Initiative.** ” Mind reading? And since when was he a potential  _mind reader_? “ **Rest-assured-that-as-soon-as-your-test-is-completed-a-Heartland- Sciences-Associate-will-be-quick-to-reward-your-participation-before-returning-you-to-your- home.** ” Really?

_That was it_?

There was a catch, he thought to himself, nonetheless taking his seat to look toward the papers stacked upon it. There had to be a catch, it–

’ _Fill in the blanks_ ’

He was looking at an unfinished template for his own birth certificate.

The instant he stood, the room flooded with 'smoke’, the blond charging for the door in a rush of rage and desperation alike. He would not die here no he would not, but nor would he allow himself to forget what was important, OH NO!  _HE WOULD NOT_ –

His pounding against the door quieted and slowed, and soon he was greeted with darkness again.

Darkness became searing light. This time he had the time to turn his head from device to device–to look toward the observation chamber before him and widen his eyes as he heard them announce the procedure; ’ _MEMORY ERASURE TEST, SUBJECT 1498, ATTEMPT 2_ ’

Oh no.

Oh no no  _nO NO NO–_

Again the silent scream tore his throat, giving nothing to the air in return. His body arched under the force of the electricity surging through him, and his arms strained against what gripped them tight. And as his vision faded, his eyes locked upon the ceiling, just as white as his vision, just as white as the coat in his memory the coat he–

This test was familiar, he realized, starting to jot in a few answers. Better to fill it out so that he could get to Haruto quickly of course, but–

He stood in horror as he realized what he was writing, and in the same instant that he realized what he had nearly done, the smoke filled the air again and put him under.

Third time was a charm, wasn’t it?

They would not get him this time. Though he struggled to properly recall the answers to one or two questions on the sheet he forced himself to focus, all too deliberately filling in as much wrong as he  could. Birthdates, names, personal events, locations, cards, personal skills, everything,  _everything **everything**_ –

Keep calm, he told himself carefully, swallowing as he reached the end. The smoke had started coming in before he even stood up the last time, he remembered that clearly, and if he was right they  were tracking his responses at that very moment. A single emotional burst would give him away, the slightest thing–!

“ **We-will-now-begin-the-photographic-portion-of-the-test. Please-enter-the-names-of-the- following.** ”

Haruto’s photo appeared before his eyes, and he could not remain calm. The smoke filled his vision once again, and as he blacked out he thought he saw machines entering the room to drag him away, before returning to his senses to be greeted with searing white once more. If there was anything familiar about it, he would attribute it to multiple sessions.

He couldn’t think of another reason for him to recall being 'submerged in white’. 

“ **Good-Morning-Test-Subject.** ” He’d been in this room before, hadn’t he? “ **Thank-you-for-taking- part-in-the-Heartland-Sciences-Enrichment-Center-Mind-Reading-Testing-Initiative.** ” Hn. Quite a mouthful wasn’t that?

His arms were crossed as he sat in the seat, having already moved to sit there after waking up. There was something vaguely familiar about this, he had to admit. Looking to the papers as the recording  finished however, he steadied his resolve. Haruto. This was for Haruto, he told himself, filling out a number of the answers. He just needed to fill out this 'mind reading’ test and he’d be out. Just whose mind was he reading anyway, he wondered as he wrote, his own-

His eyes widened and Kaito dropped the pen. No…

No..!

He’d been taking guesses at most of these responses, all while under the impression that it was an impossible test, but as he progressed through the pages it became clear whose 'mind’ the papers reflected. This was no 'mind reading test’, his thoughts roared, smoke already filling the room, this was–

Darkness.

And then white.

’ _ATTEMPT FIVE_ ’

Once again he wrote through the written test, hand trembling as he went. Stay calm, he told himself,  _stay calm stay calm stay calm_  he would have to find some way to fix this, that was all–just find some  way to regain what he’d forgotten, if he could just get out that was all he needed to right, the room was entirely concrete  _THERE WAS NO WAY OUT_ –

Smoke was in the room again.

As he passed out, he could do nothing but stare at the papers, trembling in his seat as he stared at the second 'birth certificate’ he’d been filling. Ha… Haru… The name, why was he forgetting his  _name_   _ **HOW COULD HE FORGET HIS NAME**_ –!?

’ _ATTEMPT SIX_ ’

It practically hurt, that written test, so many answers that seemed too familiar, so many details he found himself  _too_  confident in writing. A test to read minds? Hah. Well wasn’t that interesting, he thought, the computer moving on to the next stage. Mind–

… That face.

**_WHY COULDN’T HE REMEMBER THE NAME OF THAT FACE_** –!

By the time the smoke took effect this time he had already moved to his feet, eyes seeming to glow as he turned to the cameras in rage. How dare they… How dare they, his memories, his  _BROTHER_ , HOW  _ **DARE**_ –

_How could he_? Forget his own brother, after all that happened (after all he could no longer remember, falling back against the chair in horror, holding his head in his hands as he willed himself to please, please  _PLEASE JUST REMEMBER_ )–

**_HIS OWN BROTHER–!_ **

“ **Emotional-Response-Detected: Subject-To-Be-Detained.** ”

As he passed out, his mind wondered how he could have forgotten having a brother at all, let alone his brother’s name. and this time, instead of mere darkness, he thought he saw golden eyes in his dreams.

**//open Test Observation File [Data Lost]: Subject # 1498**

**//specify: File Name: Attempt Number [Data Lost]**

**DATA CORRUPTED**

**… SEARCHING**

**… SEARCHING**

**1 FILE FOUND**

“ **Good-Morning-Test-Subject.** ”

He didn’t want to be here.

“ **Thank-you-for-taking-part-in-the-Heartland-Sciences-Enrichment-Center-Mind-Reading-Testing-Initiative.** ”

There was something important he needed to do, something he needed to see. One could grill him day and night as to the importance to such a thing if he couldn’t remember the details, but he would stubbornly insist. He didn’t know why.

It just  _was_.

“ **Rest-assured-that-as-soon-as-your-test-is-completed-a-Heartland-Sciences-Associate-will-be-quick-to-reward-your-participation-before-returning-you-to-your-home.** ”

He couldn’t speak however, and he didn’t feel particularly inclined to try spelling it out for these people. That aside, the recording clearly stated that they’d be letting him out afterward–and much as he felt almost certain that this wasn’t the case, he knew he’d at least get out of the room, and compared to being locked in a concrete box, that was a vast improvement on the 'escape’ plan.

Mind reading though?

He snorted, a soundless reaction that could be detected only by the expression of his face. It was ridiculous. He couldn’t read minds any better than the rest of the world, and they certainly hadn’t drugged him with anything that was supposed to make that happen. Maybe he was part of the control group.

Probably the safer of options in this case.

At any rate, he thought, filling in the blanks of the first part of the quiz before moving into the 'short’ and 'long’ answers, it was certainly easy to be honest here. He didn’t recognize anything about  these–maybe he’d get a few things right if he was lucky. He was particularly confident on his description of the 'cottage near Butterfly Lake’, though with his luck he was horribly off.

Long answers complete, he put the pen to the side, leaning back against the chair as he eyed his surroundings. A few cameras were the most that were there, aside from the parts of the 'relaxation vault’ as it was apparently called. Bed, toilet in the corner (like hell he was using that on camera), and–

“ **We-will-now-begin-the-photographic-portion-of-the-test. Please-enter-the-names-of-the- following.** ”

Ah. Two parts.

He grabbed the pen again, flipping the paper over and spotting the blanks that were to be filled for the responses. Given that this was the last page, he could be confident that this would be the last step, at least. The first photo came up, and he stared. Enter the names of the following…

He frowned, narrowing his eyes a moment. Something about the first one immediately resonated with him, somehow. He couldn’t put his finger on it however–not at all. Even so it made him uneasy. His heartrate began to quicken, and as if anticipating a response, the camera began to zoom in behind him. His fingers, which had until then been gripping the pen quite idly, stopped their tapping motions, and the longer he stared the more confused he became. And then–

The photo moved on. Ah. He’d taken too long staring at that slide, he realized, leaving the line blank. No use in trying too hard on it, he supposed. If he didn’t know, he didn’t know, right? He could guess all he wanted on the others, but he wasn’t getting anything for the first one. He simply did what he could for the remaining, and put the papers to the side. That was all he needed after all. To finish the test. Finish that, and he’d be given a way out, he told himself, a scientist eventually coming in to collect the papers. Finish that, and–

“ **We-Shall-Now-Assign-To-You-An-Extended-Relaxation-Chamber. As-Part-Of-Protocol,-We-Of-Heartland-Sciences-Are-Required-To-Tell-You-That-Some-Subjects-May-Not-Be-Chosen-For-Testing-For-Extended-Periods-Of-Time. We-Hope-That-You-Understand-This-Fact,-And- Enjoy-Your-Indefinite-Stay-During-Cryogenic-Stasis–** ”

_No_.

The instant he was in the hall he ran.

No, no,  _NO_.

To the side, someone slammed their hand on a large red button, and he thought for a moment he saw a sign warning to do that at the first sign of an 'orange jumpsuit’.

Sirens blared through the air and that did not matter. Keep running, he told himself, fighting through as he struggled to get forward.  _Keep running_ , he mentally screeched when he was at last pulled from the deep slumber that his first attempt resulted in, the blond making a run for it the instant he  felt he had a chance. Keep running, just  _keep running_!

**//FILE PURGED**

“Like this, he’s far too dangerous to use for physical tests,” a scientist observed, running over the video feeds as 'subject 1498’ was finally detained.

“Such a shame,” another sighed. “He’s a lot more fit than the others we have here.”

“Well, we still have other tests,” the first decided. “And if we’re in a pinch, there’s at least a few that we could reasonably use him for…”

The second merely jotted down a few things, before handing a clipboard to his partner. “Maybe. Until then,” they continued, moving to leave the observation room, “Perhaps we could instead find some way to deal with his abnormal tenacity. Let’s go,” the scientist finished.

“Right–it won’t look good if we’re late for the next upgrade to the Central AI will it.”

“Maybe if we’re lucky it’ll take a full ten seconds before she tries to kill us.”

“HAH!”


	4. Kashikomari

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After he had escaped, there was nothing.  
> Nothing but dusted memories he could barely grasp, and the eyes of birds in a dreary gray sky.  
> (And after all, what had happened to that robot of his, that he'd built as a young man for infant care?)

He didn’t much like robots to be honest. When it came to his reasoning, GLaDOS was the biggest offender–she had taunted him, and tormented him, attempting to kill him with fire, bullets, and poison.

…And she had let him go.

‘Wheatley’ was another reason. Perhaps it was merely the programming of the main system that drove him insane, or simply his character–GLaDOS  _had_  said that he was built to 'be’ an idiot after all. As for the turrets…

Childlike voices, and endless firepower, and thus, the opinion of things was obvious.

GLaDOS however was the main reason. She was the one who left the biggest mark on his memory, and the one he’d had the most experience dealing with. She was the reason why memories of gold 'eyes’ were tainted with neurotoxin and cake recipes, with monotonous and mechanical speech, and low chuckling that faded out into darkness.

He was outside now.

After crossing the field of overgrown weeds and grasses he was inside a forest, or at least it seemed that way. Trees of impossible heights towered above, and birds crowed in the skies overhead as he traveled, passing moss-eaten bark and rocky, uneven soil. How long he walked, he did not know. Sometimes he stopped-sleeping beneath a tree, chewing idly on any rations he had stockpiled in the pockets of his jumpsuit. For the most part he carried on, observing the differences of the world around him.

In some ways, it was louder. The sounds of birds, the sounds of the wind, of the rain that made its way through the leaves overhead every once in a while, his jumpsuit the only protection for the portal gun he carried.

In others, it was quieter. He knew there was no sound to his breath, not even in the slightest. Despite knowing it had been this way for as long as he remembered, there was something unnatural feeling about that, and he swore if he had the power he'd be able to speak perfectly. But the hum of constant machinery was also gone from his ears now, the white noise in his ears replaced with echoing silence that was only interrupted by pattering rain and his footsteps against mud.

And against something solid.

Kaito game to a stop when the sounds changed–when squashed mud instead became the slight 'clack’ of a more familiar time, and a more familiar material. He stopped, and with another tap realized what it was.

Metal.

Whatever it was, it was covered in soil and plant. Rather than clear it all on the spot he found himself moving the 'thing’ to a more covered location, a tree with thicker growth and cover, enough that he could put the portal gun on the ground and use both hands to clear the grime. Vine and grass and dirt flaked away from tea-stained white, and soon enough he could make out something glass. Something…

Gold.

It was a robot.

He fell back somewhat at the sight, but after a moment moved to examine the machine nonetheless. It was a robot, de-active, 'broken’, even, with wheels at its feet and small pinchers for hands, the front of its panels cracked open with wires pulled from their ports.

He could have left it there.

He could have taken the portal gun and continued on his way, left the machine to take part of the surroundings again, become a piece of the woods as it had been to start. Yet…

Kaito found himself trailing fingers over the wires within the machine, matching plug to plug with his fingers as he frowned. For some reason, he couldn’t quite convince himself to do that. The wires were one by one connected, red, yellow, blue, and while in the back of his mind he could hear warnings of gold and metal, Kaito’s hand hovered over a final cable nonetheless.

One more… One more, he thought, plugging it in and snapping his hand back as the panels shot to life and closed over, and there was no going back. White noise entered his ears again, and as the robot jolted he fell back, eyes wide. Gold-eyes came alight, sparks cracked on the air, and then–

“K…Kaito…sama?”

He didn’t like robots. He took the portal gun back, and regarded the one before him with suspicion and hesitation both, and yet if anything the 'robot’ responded with as much–perhaps even more–emotion as GLaDOS had in those few moments when she spoke of 'Caroline’.

“Kaito-sama… You’re alive! You’re alive!! I had thought, when I found those records, perhaps there was something more…but to think, you really are still alive!” He didn’t like robots, and yet…

He looked to the machine of dirtied white and stared, frowning not out of irritation but confusion. 'Sama’… 'Sama’ was for someone important. Someone with power, someone who demanded respect, right? 'Sama’ was…

“Kaito-sama..?” The robot clicked a little, eyes shuttering as it approached–and as it approached, Kaito stepped back, slowly bringing his portal gun forward in a subconscious motion of self-defense. “Are you alright, Kaito-sama? It’s me–! Me, 'Orbital-7’, at your service! Remember? … K… Kaito…sama..?”

Eventually, he had to bring the gun down. Eventually the robot found its gaze lingering over the jumpsuit of orange, the stamped number on the right pocket and on the faded and somewhat bloodied hole on its sleeve. On the yellowed shirt reading 'Heartland Sciences’, logo barely visible between the half-zippered portions of the jumpsuit top, and finally on Kaito’s still dirtied face, wounds of previous battles still plain to see.

And eventually… “Ah…”

“…”  
  
The files the robot spoke of now fluttered through its programming and thoughts, and Orbital's lights dimmed with understanding.

“…My apologies…Kaito-sama.”


End file.
